Learn to Love Me
by Crystal Anjel
Summary: Shy, stubborn Kinomoto Sakura becomes a student teacher for the grouchy Mr. Li Syaoran, a history teacher in an everyday American high school. S&S, incomplete, being revised.
1. Sakura's First Day

T.Anjel: C-Mage-chan and Tiny Anjel here with another fic! Before any of you decide to turn your heels and speed away to read other fics, hear us out! It's interesting, I swear!

C-Mage: Konnichiwa, minna! Now, for all of you who've heard about this before, I'm really sorry... -.-' I kind of took forever writing. Now, you'd better all read this, because it's really quite interesting, if I do say so myself. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: CCS does not belong to us. No surprise.

Summary: Shy, stubborn Kinomoto Sakura becomes a student teacher for the grouchy Mr. Li Syaoran, a history teacher in an everyday American high school. The adventure goes on from there.

**Learn to Love Me - Chapter 1 - Sakura's First Day**

Once upon a time, I was in love. I still am, by the way, but that would be getting a little ahead of myself. You could say my story starts when I was born and learned to speak and walk, but I'll fast forward a bit until I was nineteen and went to college. It was a college in America, to be precise. It was the land of the free and home of the brave.

I loved children since way back, and I wanted to become a teacher. Everyone back at home thought that studying in America would be more educational and beneficial than learning whatever was possible in Japan. I agreed, and, after a little bit of convincing for my older brother, he finally let me go.

I was lucky to have a second cousin who lived in America, and it was all coincidental that she was a full-time teacher. I knew I could learn a lot from her, and she wasn't even all that much older than I was.

I graduated college with new friends and an education, and I was finally heading to get my master degree. It seemed to be a little far-fetched, but with a few motivational words from everyone I knew, it didn't seem to be all that bad of an idea. And, of course, to get the degree I had to study teaching and such by being a student teacher. How hard could that be?

And this is where I begin the story of my lover and me:

"Sakura-chan! Get up! You're going to be late on the first day of school."

"Already?"

"Hai, now get up."

"What time is it?" I grumbled, pulling the thin, pink sheets over my head to block out the sudden blinding light. It couldn't be more than six o'clock or so.

"It's seven-thirty."

That struck me pretty hard. "HOE!" I yelled automatically, springing up from my bed. I really shouldn't have done that. The bedroom light was so bright it took a whole minute just to adjust to it. I squinted up from my bed to see my cousin staring at me as if asking, 'Well?'

"I'm going. I'm going," I said, pacing myself and tumbling from bed. Even in the summer, the mornings were cold, and I shivered at the sudden nakedness I felt without my blanket. I quickly got myself ready. My hair was tied in a messy sort of ponytail, and I got dressed in a dark navy suit, complete with knee-length skirt and jacket.

I was assigned a student teacher job at the same school Tomoyo-san taught at. She's an art teacher, by the way. Anyway, I only met the teacher I was supposed to hang around with once. His name was Li Syaoran, and the few words he said to me the day he met me was for me not to get in his way. Did I do something wrong?

"Coffee?" Tomoyo-san offered, sliding over a large mug full of the dark liquid.

"Arigatou," I thanked, taking a seat at the kitchen table and sipping cautiously at the scalding fluid. "I'm so nervous," I said as Tomoyo-san took a seat in front of me.

"You'll be fine," she assured me. "Even though Li-san may be a little hard to get through, this year will go by in a breeze."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

I really was nervous. It was obvious enough that Li-san didn't really like me all that well, and what if the kids didn't like me, either? I only managed to drink half of my mug of coffee. Tomoyo-san and I rushed off into her black Lexus and sped away from her suburban home.

We arrived thirty minutes before class started, and Tomoyo-san had to get her art lessons for the day ready, so we parted once we got into the large high school. Now I had to find Li-san, but I had no idea where he was. The teachers' lounge? Maybe.

I scuttled off with my backpack slung over my shoulder, feeling like I was back at high school as a student. I actually was, in a way.

In a matter of minutes, I was lost and had no sense of direction. I even forgot what floor I was on. Eto, let me see here... I couldn't find any maps of the school anywhere, and barely any students were around at this time of day, which I found to be quite surprising.

"Kinomoto-san?"

I turned around and saw none other than Eriol-kun. He actually insisted I call him that. "Eriol-kun!" I cried in relief. Being lost was really taking its toll on me.

"Lost?" he asked.

If I were any smarter, I would have caught a strange shininess in his eyes. And even if I had caught it, I wouldn't have thought much of it. "Hai," I answered honestly.

"If you're looking for Mr. Li, he should be in his first period room," Eriol informed me. "You have his schedule?"

I nodded and took it out from the front pocket of my backpack. I just realized what a weird combination my suit and book bag made, but it's not as if I really minded. First period was in room 147.

Eriol peered over my shoulder and told me to go down the first stairs on my left and just head straight down the hallway 'til I found '147' written in large numbers on a door. I nodded in thanks and followed his precise instructions. Did I forget to mention that he's the principal of school and Tomoyo-san's long-term boyfriend? He really is a sweet man, but I'll have to admit he's a little strange.

I found the room with barely any difficulty and saw Li-san arranging his things for his first class. I gently knocked on the door to inform him of my presence.

"Mr. Li?" I asked timidly. That stare of his always seemed to pierce right through me. It was almost as if no matter how hard I tried hiding something, he would be able to see it without a problem. What an enigmatic man.

He looked up from his desk and did his usual glare thing. He must be doing it out of habit. I shrugged the glare off and gave the man a large smile. "I hope I'm not late, Mr. Li."

He gave me no reply and resumed his work. I determined myself not to get fazed by his cruel actions and made myself comfortable in the back corner of the room. I took out a notebook and pen, ready to examine Li-san's teaching style and so forth.

The silence was chilly and full of tension. I was hoping that Li-san would warm up to me sooner or later. He really didn't seem that bad of a man.

I heard the hallways slowly fill up with noise and screaming students. They all must have been excited to see each other again after so many weeks. The bell rang shrilly, demanding the students hustle and go to their first-period class. Students occupied nearly every seat in the room.

I couldn't help hearing small snippets of conversations, which happened so close to my ears. I tried not to, but those kids were so loud. Someone said something about how Mr. Li was supposed to be a real mean teacher; another girl said he was extremely good-looking and was wondering if he would wait 'til she graduated so he could marry her. I smiled at that.

The late bell rang, signaling for classes to begin. I watched Li-san intently as he finally lifted his head from staring at his notes or whatever was written in his notebook. He looked lazily at all the still students. He opened his mouth to say something, but the door banged open, interrupting the man from making his speech. A young boy barged into the room, his mouth running twice as quickly than what could possibly be imaginable, saying something about being really sorry for being late.

Amazingly enough, I think Li-san understood every word the boy said. "I don't expect you to ever be late to this class again," Li-san said, his voice low and menacing.

"I won't," the boy squeaked, definitely intimidated by the man's threat. He frantically looked around the room for a seat, only to find them all occupied. "There aren't anymore seats left, Mr. Li," he mumbled out, knowing all too well about the evil rumors spreading about Li-san and his short temper. I only heard these a little later.

"I guess you'll come earlier next time and get a seat," Li-san growled, looking down at the boy. "You'll have to sit on the floor in the back."

The boy would have protested but couldn't find the courage to defy Li-san's stare. He dragged his bag up an aisle, displaying to the class the humiliation he was faced with that morning.

"Take this seat," I immediately offered as he made his way to the back of the classroom. I slung my bag over my shoulder and tucked my notebook under my arm, grabbing my lucky pen as I did so.

The boy shook his head in alarm. "I can't! Where would you sit?"

"I'll be fine," I replied reassuringly and ushered him to the vacant seat.

He shook his head again.

"Fine," I said, and plopped myself on the floor, knowing I would have dust all over my skirt. "If you don't sit there, neither will I."

The boy stood next to the chair, his mouth open and not knowing how to react to what I had just done. The whole class was silent and turned their gaze over from the boy to Li-san, who was standing silently throughout my whole act. Everyone seemed to be holding his or her breath, and I also held mine.

"Ms. Kinomoto, I suggest you take your seat back and have the boy sit on the floor. He was the one being late," Li-san said.

"There is no reason for him to be sitting on the floor, Mr. Li," I shot back. I usually don't argue with people, but this was totally ridiculous. "He comes to school to learn, and no matter how late he is, he should not be treated any differently from the other students. If anything, you should have taken the small trouble to borrow another desk from another class."

I really didn't mean to humiliate Li-san, but it just happened too fast. He flushed a light shade of pink before barking at the boy to take a seat at the desk. Just before I thought he was going to take the attendance or something, he took the chair from his desk and smoothly slid it down the aisle. I stared at the chair in surprise and stared up at the teacher, questioning his actions.

"Take the damn chair," he said. I blinked before rising from the floor and dusting myself off. I took the red chair and pulled it to the space I had been sitting in before. I sat down, crossed my legs, and opened my notebook on my lap. Li-san sure was a strange man.

The class went by quickly as Li-san briefly went over what he expected of the students throughout the whole year and what they would be learning. He even went over how he was going to grade them and such, but I doubted any of the students would remember once they were out the door.

"Ms. Kinomoto, I would like a word," Li-san said after the last student hustled out the door into the bustling hallway.

I silently put down my notebook and strolled to the front desk. I felt like I was in high school again.

"I don't want that kind of attitude displayed here again, do you understand?" Li-san asked in a demanding tone.

I nodded in comprehension. "But, if a student has no seat, it is your job as the teacher to provide him or her with one," I argued back logically.

He mumbled something under his breath and gave me a sarcastic smile. "I just hope we have our standards set straight, Ms. Kinomoto."

I nodded again. That man was as hard as rock! I took my seat again in the back as another batch of students slowly rolled in.

Li-san repeated his whole lecture; I could've sworn - and still would - that he was repeating the speech word for word. Did he practice at home, by any chance?

I really didn't have much to write down, as it was only the first day and Li-san was just going over the same exact things such as grading procedures, etc. I observed the students for a while as they secretly exchanged notes and clumsily left them in the desks, forgotten after a few minutes. Some stared dully out the window, while others sat in rapt attention, much to my surprise.

Second period was over in a snap, and Li-san grouchily informed me that the next two periods were free. I shrugged off his snappy manner and packed my bag. Li-san sat at his desk, scribbling something ferociously in his notebook. I headed down an aisle where I knew a forgotten note lay. I found the small scrap of paper and pocketed it. It would be fun to read later on. Tomoyo-san had this period off, too, and she had promised to meet me in her room.

I left the room silently and headed down an empty hallway. From the best of my memory, the art rooms were located at the south end of the building. And, much to my relief and surprise, I was correct. I perused the note I found in the room on my way to Tomoyo-san's room and read:

I'm so scared! I heard Mr. Li's class is as hard as hell.

So did I...but he's so hot!

Haha! Yeah, I know. But still, that doesn't change the fact that I'll probably fail his freakin' class.

And the letter ended there. I chucked it in a nearby garbage can at the corner of the hallway and found Tomoyo-san in her room, arranging a beautiful still life of plastic flowers.

I knocked softly on the door.

"Ah! Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo-san greeted.

I gave her a smile and plopped myself in one of the seats.

"How's Li-san's class?" Tomoyo-san asked.

I shrugged and rolled my eyes. "He's nice, but is a little bit on the stubborn side."

Tomoyo-san gave a chuckle. "Sure, he's nice, Sakura-chan," she said. "Has he discussed the year's curriculum with you yet?"

I shook my head. "He just gave me a book and told me everything I want to know about the class would be in there," I replied truthfully.

Tomoyo-san shook her head in disapproval. "What a frustrating person he is," she said.

"He may just be going through rough times," I said.

"You're such an accepting person, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo-san said with a smile. "I admire you."

"Iie, I'm not!" I argued.

"Don't deny it," she said. "Oh! And did I tell you yet? Touya-san and Fujitaka-san are planning to come by here soon."

"Honto?" I asked, grinning from ear to ear.

Tomoyo-san nodded. "They miss you so much."

"Me, too," I said with a sigh. "It's been ages since I've last seen them." I paused. "Do you think I should have a talk with Li-san?" I asked doubtfully.

"About the curriculum and everything?"

I nodded.

Tomoyo-san thought for a second before answering. "You should, Sakura-chan," she said. "Even though it'll take more than a sweet smile to get him talking, you should try. Your degree depends on it."

I nodded again. "I'm going to do just that."

TBC.

T.Anjel: What'dya think? Why don't you click on that little review button down there to share your thoughts? Thanks for reading!

C-Mage: So...? We really do appreciate reviews. Oh! For those of you who haven't read Hooded, go read it! We almost have 200 reviews! Yay! does a dance for joy Arigatou!


	2. Syaoran's New Student Teacher

C-Mage: Konnichiwa, minna-san! *waves at readers* How do you like it so far? I hope that we can post new chapters at regular intervals.... Here's chapter two! Yay! ^.^'  
  
T.Anjel: Thanks for the reviews~! They were great!!!!! This fic will be one of slow progress so please don't be expecting anything drastic anytime soon. We're getting to the good parts! Patience is a virtue!   
  
Disclaimer: CCS does not belong to us. Imagine that....  
  
Summary: As a strict teacher, Li Syaoran always had it his way or no way. But with his newly assigned student teacher in the picture, the school year won't be as neat and perfect as he planned. The same goes for his life.   
  
~*~Learn To Love Me - Chapter 2 - Syaoran's New Student Teacher~*~  
  
After I dismissed Kinomoto and gave her my standard curriculum book, I returned to my desk to continue work on my notes. The next two class periods would be blissfully quiet, and I would be able to work on in peace.  
  
Or, so I had thought. About five minutes into fourth period, Kinomoto creaked the door open and peered in, green eyes nervously traveling up to my desk. I glared at her for invading my privacy, and she gulped as she stepped into the room.  
  
Her worn-out backpack, sloppy ponytail, and dark suit looked odd and disorganized to my critical eye, and I scowled at her again for it. I had a dislike for student teachers, especially obstinate ones.  
  
She stepped up to my desk, and I heard the slight squeak of tennis shoes, almost prompting a smile from my stern lips. She cleared her throat feebly, then spoke. "Mr. Li," she started, accent scarcely noticeable, "I'd like to discuss some things with you. About the curriculum...."  
  
I stared at her pointedly. "I gave you the book, Ms. Kinomoto, as I do with each of my student teachers. I expect you to read that book, then address any questions about it to me, understood?"  
  
"Yes," she responded, then continued. "However, I'd much rather have you explain your curriculum to me personally, not through an impersonal book. I do have some questions I'd like answered."  
  
"Have you read the book?" I asked, full well knowing her impending answer.  
  
"No." Her eyes flickered, but she forged on steadily. "But I'd like to know just what exactly you'll be teaching this year from the textbook, and what chapter I'll be assigned to teach to the classes. It would also be helpful to know when I'll be teaching the chapter, so that I could have sufficient time to prepare myself." She looked me straight on, clearly expecting me to give in. This, however, only served to annoy me further.  
  
"Look, Ms. Kinomoto, you have already wasted" - I glanced at my watch - "fifteen minutes of my valuable time. I have already stated that I will not answer your questions until after you read the book, and will not do so again. Now, if you will excuse me, I have more important things to take care of," I pronounced, looking pointedly at the stack of papers upon my desk.  
  
She looked taken aback for a second, then nodded briskly and marched out of the room, one hand clutching a backpack strap. I watched her leave; then, once again, I returned to my desk to continue with my papers and notes.  
  
I was relieved at her departure, yet vaguely disappointed. I didn't interact much with others, and the discussion, heated as it was, had been interesting. It disgruntled me that she had given up without much of an argument - I had thought higher of her persistence. Perhaps my previous judgment had been a fluke.  
  
Thankfully, I had no more interruptions until the beginning of fifth period, when students started to once more trickle in. I put aside my papers and took out my notes for the period, gazing over them earnestly for a few seconds.  
  
By the time the tardy bell rang, all of the students were in their seats, but Kinomoto wasn't present. After waiting a bit impatiently for a short amount of time, students shifting in their seats, the door flung open, and Kinomoto burst in, looking harassed.  
  
"Mr. Li, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, pausing at the door to bow profusely. Apparently she had forgotten that she wasn't in Japan for a moment. She rambled on with her explanation, saying that she had gotten lost on her way from the school library.  
  
"Ms. Kinomoto, I suggest that you learn your way around this building soon," I said coolly, eyes hardening. "To be late to a class is to set a bad example for the students, which must never happen. Now, please take your seat, and we may begin."  
  
Kinomoto nodded jerkily and hurried over to an empty desk in the corner - I had reclaimed my chair - and pulled out her notebook and pen in her annoyingly hurried manner. She smoothed her skirt, brushed loose hair out of her face, and turned to face me, barely smiling, appearing to be ready to take notes once more.  
  
The class continued on smoothly as I gave my usual speech, explaining grading procedures, what I expected of the class, etc. As soon as the bell rang, the students jumped up from their seats, chattering away as they filed out of the room to the cafeteria for lunch or heading off to their next class.  
  
Kinomoto stood up awkwardly and looked around, evidently wondering what to do. I started to gather together my papers and answered the unspoken question without looking at her. "This is my lunch period, Ms. Kinomoto. I suppose I'll be seeing you next period."  
  
I briefly looked up to see if she was still confused, but didn't see her. Offended that she had left, I picked up my papers and exited the room, locking the door safely behind me. I had just gotten to the end of the hall, and was turning into the hallway that would lead me outdoor school grounds, when I heard a voice calling out to me.  
  
"Li-kun," said a familiar voice. I looked up to find its owner and saw Hiiragizawa-san. The dark-haired man was not only the youngest principal I had ever met, but also the strangest.  
  
"Hai, Hiiragizawa-san?" I asked, slipping into Japanese. It was his preferred language, so I spoke it in his vicinity. Daidouji and Kinomoto were also fluent speakers, so I'd heard.  
  
"I have a request, actually," he said, pleasantly enough. "Would you mind joining me for lunch in the teachers' lounge? You hardly ever take the opportunity to mingle with the others, and I have a few things to talk over with you." He smiled eerily; his mouth curved properly, but his eyes stayed the same, glimmering steadily. I automatically felt uncomfortable by his unflinching gaze. What was that man up to?  
  
"Of course," I replied skeptically.  
  
"Aa, good. Now, I'd like to stop by the cafeteria briefly...." He smiled again, and it was just as creepy as the previous one. Obligingly, I turned around and headed to the cafeteria with Hiiragizawa-san. He liked to eat the same food as his students, claiming that it gave them a stronger bond. Secretly, I thought that he just ate the school lunch to save money, but I would never tell him such a thing.  
  
When at last we reached the teachers' lounge, Hiiragizawa-san's tray full of cafeteria food, there were already two occupants: the dark-haired Daidouji and the lighter-haired Kinomoto, happily eating away at their lunches. Hiiragizawa-san, of course, just waltzed right on in and sat down next to Daidouji, greeting the duo cheerfully. "Konnichiwa, Tomoyo-san, Kinomoto-san. Ogenki desu ka?"  
  
"Genki desu," replied Daidouji, smiling at her boyfriend.  
  
"Good. And, are you the same?" he asked, facing Kinomoto.  
  
"Hai," she responded, much more lively now that she was speaking her native tongue and around her second cousin.  
  
Hiiragizawa-san inclined his head at her, then turned to face me. "Li-kun, please sit down," he suggested, gesturing to the empty seats at the table. Returning to the women as I sat down at the far end of the table, he said, "I finally convinced him to come and eat lunch with the rest of us. Much better than his normal, ne, Tomoyo-san?"  
  
Daidouji nodded, eyes lighting up, and answered, "Hai." Seeing the confused look on Kinomoto's face, she explained. "Li-san is normally found up in the large tree outside during lunch. Eriol-san's been trying to get him to eat in the teachers' lounge since Li-san started here." Kinomoto giggled at this, and I could feel my face slightly heating up.  
  
"Li-kun," said Hiiragizawa-san, "why don't you sit closer to us? You can't expect us to have a conversation with you down at the other end of the table. There's a lovely seat next to Kinomoto-san, if I'm not mistaken." His eyes glinted again, and I moved down a few seats to sit next to Kinomoto, who smiled at me with a childlike innocence.  
  
"Now," started Daidouji, violet eyes alight, "why don't we begin our meal, now that everyone is seated together?" Hiiragizawa nodded his agreement, and the three all chorused, "Itadakimasu."  
  
Daidouji, Kinomoto, and Hiiragizawa-san all began talking to each other, and I just sat there, eating my bento and drinking in their light-hearted conversation. For once, I almost felt as if I belonged, yet still as if I didn't. Eventually, their talk went to after school clubs, and I was forced to join in.  
  
"I do think that a photography club would be wonderful, Tomoyo-san, but I was actually thinking about a self-defense club.... It would do the students some good to know how to defend themselves. What do you think of leading it, Li-kun?" Hiiragizawa-san asked me, and all three heads turned to face me.  
  
"Well," I began, thinking it over quickly, "it certainly would be good for students to have some training, provided they had equipment. I wouldn't mind teaching, either, if it doesn't take up too much of my time."  
  
"Good," stated Daidouji. She then turned to Kinomoto and asked, "And you, Sakura-chan, would you mind helping out, as well? You had some training yourself when you were younger, and I heard that you were quite good at it."  
  
Kinomoto flushed before replying. "I don't think I've had near enough training to teach yet, Tomoyo-san. I hardly remember what I learned, anyway." I glanced over towards Kinomoto, not being able to picture her fighting or doing anything violent in any way.  
  
"Oh, that's fine, Kinomoto-san," reassured Hiiragizawa-san. "Li-kun has been training in fighting techniques since before he could walk - I'm sure he wouldn't mind taking some time out of his schedule to help polish your moves. Right, Li-kun?"  
  
"H-hai," I said, knowing that I should follow what the principal requested of me. It couldn't be that bad, right?  
  
"And you, Kinomoto-san, you'll train with Li-kun?"  
  
"H...hai...," came her reply. "But only," she added, "if it wouldn't be any trouble for Li-san." She looked at me as she said that, emerald eyes wary of every move I made.  
  
Before I had the time to respond, however, Hiiragizawa-san cut me off. "Of course he wouldn't mind! He lives to teach, after all." I could have sworn that he winked at me from behind his glasses after that statement. He quickly glanced at his watch, then looked up at us. "I hate to break this up, but it's nearing time for sixth period, and you should all probably go if you're to make it to class on time." Kinomoto and I nodded and set about collecting our things, and I headed out the door, barely hearing Hiiragizawa-san's "Sayonara."  
  
After I reached my room, I unlocked the door and placed my bag at my desk. Kinomoto entered, flicking on the lights and retreating to the back of the room. There were still a few minutes until students would start to come in, so I sat down at my desk to wait.  
  
"Um...Mr. Li," began Kinomoto, going straight back into English. "About the self-defense club."  
  
"Yes?" I replied, gazing at her sharply.  
  
"Well, about you helping me polish up my training…could we set up a certain time to do it?" She looked at me from by her desk, emerald eyes beseeching.  
  
"All right," I conceded. "I'm free after school today at five. Meet me in the school gym with suitable clothing. I'll bring equipment." She nodded. "Don't be late, though, because I'm a very busy man." My answer baffled me. I never gave into such petty requests so easily.   
  
"I won't be," she said, right before the first group of students entered.  
  
After that, I was busy telling the next class all that they'd need to know. Never mind that they didn't pay attention; I was required to lay it on them the first day of school. I'd repeated my spiel so often that I could probably say it in my sleep. Halfway through, though, I was interrupted.  
  
"And so, you'll -" I paused as I saw a hand raise into the air. "Yes?"  
  
"Mr. Li, could I please go to my locker? I need my coat...." The student's eyes were pleading. My eyes narrowed.  
  
"No, you may not. I expect you to come to class every day prepared, as you would know if you had bothered to pay attention to my regulations and everything else I've been discussing for the past twenty minutes. If you forgot your coat, that is your own problem. Deal with it." I abruptly continued on with my speech, as miscellaneous students glared at me from their seats, angry that I had been so rude to one of their own. The student I had been talking to huddled down in his seat and sulked for the remainder of the class period. Kinomoto, herself, was confused by my snappy response, and I made no motion to clear give her a reason for it.  
  
At the end of that period, Kinomoto stood up and walked to my desk. I could've only imagined what she would say to me about this time. Looking at her, I inquired, "Yes, Ms. Kinomoto?"  
  
"Mr. Li, why wouldn't you let that student go to his locker?" she asked, sounding passive as she asked her question.  
  
"Because he didn't come to class prepared. If he isn't prepared, then he shouldn't come."  
  
"What if he was cold? He couldn't have known that the classroom would be cold enough that he would need a coat, could he? What if he had gotten sick?"  
  
"No, he couldn't have, but he could have at least had the foresight to think of the possibility." I glared at her, and then said, "Now, please stop telling me how to teach my class and discipline my students. It's almost time for seventh period to start, and I don't want to be debased in front of another class."  
  
"I may not have the right authority to tell you how to discipline your students, Mr. Li, but sometimes reason comes before training your kids like they're an army in a history class," she said, speaking her words with a true passion. Without waiting for my stuttered response, which I'm glad she didn't hear, she turned around and went back to her desk. She brought out her notebook once more, for note taking. I noted, though, that she hadn't written anything on it since first period, with exception to the coat incident in the previous period.  
  
Eventually, after seventh period, it was eighth period, our scheduled seminar time. Students once more poured in, but this time my speech was different, and Kinomoto had more notes to take. I spelled out that I expected them to study and do their homework during this hour, visiting other teachers if need be. If they weren't working, they were to be reading, bettering their minds further. Absolutely no notes, sleeping, music, or food would be allowed. They would be graded on how much they studied instead of with assignments, as there weren't any in seminar classes.  
  
I ignored the evident mumbling under the breaths of students and the rolling of eyes at my strict policies and rules.   
  
The bell rang for the end of class for the day, and the students left, hefting backpacks and talking loudly of what they would do when they got home. I sat at my desk and quickly scribbled some notes down about this class, then stood up to bid Kinomoto farewell. She was standing by the door, watching me.  
  
"Gym, five o'clock, appropriate clothing," I stated, looking at her. "And, remember - don't be late." She gave a small smile, then left the door, presumably to hook up with Daidouji and head home.  
  
Going back to my desk, I gathered together my notes, ready to head to the office. I slung my bag over my shoulder and left, locking the door after me. Then I turned and went down the hall to the office.  
  
You see, Hiiragizawa-san had an odd practice on the first day of school. He asked teachers to take notes on the classes, noting who appeared to be troublemakers, who seemed interested, and the general feeling of the classes. Teachers dropped these off in the office in a special box at the end of the first day, and that's where I was headed. Of course, my notes weren't the most optimistic ever, if I even wrote anything in there at all.   
  
As I entered the office, I nodded to the secretary, who smiled up at me. I went over to the box, located right outside Hiiragizawa-san's door, and paused. The door was open a crack, and I could hear voices faintly.  
  
"Please, Mr. Hiiragizawa, you have to do something!" exclaimed a voice I easily identified. It was none other than the student who had asked to get his coat during my sixth period, complaining to the principal himself.  
  
"And, why is that?" asked Hiiragizawa-san politely.  
  
"Because! During my history class, I asked Mr. Li if I could get my coat from my locker - raising my hand and everything - and he said no! I could have frozen to death!"  
  
Hiiragizawa-san chuckled slightly. "Well, I don't know if you would have frozen, but I imagine you would have been uncomfortable. Go on."  
  
"Also, I heard that during first period he almost made a student sit on the floor! Just because they were a little late! I mean, it's only the first day...."  
  
"Why did the student have to sit on the floor?" asked Hiiragizawa-san.  
  
"It was because the student teacher - Ms. Kinomoto, I think her name was -"  
  
"That is correct," said Hiiragizawa-san. "Continue, please."  
  
"Anyway, the new student teacher said that he shouldn't let the kid sit on the floor, and that it was cruel. So, she made to sit on the floor instead, giving up her desk, and Mr. Li had to give up his desk chair so that she could sit on it."  
  
"Ah," mused Hiiragizawa-san. "Thank you for coming to me. This matter shall be dealt with as soon as possible...." He sounded amused, oddly enough, that a student should come and complain about one of his teachers. Honestly, to my ears, it sounded too amused. "Now, hurry along. You might miss the buses."  
  
Taking this as a cue, I shoved my notes into the box and quickly left the office, thinking that the secretary had been giggling at me. I quickly pushed these thoughts out of my head and set out for my car.  
  
Upon reaching my car, I unlocked it and drove to my house, getting together the supplies I would need for a practice session with Kinomoto. I couldn't believe I was actually going to help that dense woman train. Various items of importance, such as mats, blocks, and guards, along with a set of clothing. After I stuck them all in my car, I drove back to the school and parked near the gym entrance.  
  
Entering the gym was simple, as I used it nearly every morning during the school year for training. I had my own key for convenience's sake, and unlocked the side door. Dropping my supplies off in the main gym, I went into the males' locker room, which I unlocked, and changed into my clothes. Then I arranged the mats and supplies in the gym and sat down to wait for Kinomoto.  
  
Just before the clock struck five o'clock, and just as I was thinking that Kinomoto would be late again, the side door creaked open and Kinomoto entered, hair braided back, wearing old clothing suitable for training. She looked nervous, and with good reason.  
  
Standing up, I said, "Good - you showed up. Now, let's begin."  
  
TBC.  
  
C-Mage: Arigatou for reading! R&R, please! We've only 14 reviews! How do you like the idea of Sakura and Syaoran training together? ^.~  
  
T.Anjel: You finished the chapter! Congrats! How about you leave a little review to criticize or whatnot? It'll make me smile whether the review's good or bad~ ^^ Thanks a bunch for reading! Ciao! 


	3. Sakura and the Kendo Club

C-Mage: So! Have you all been eagerly waiting to find out what happens? Does Sakura beat the tar out of Syaoran? Does she fight awfully? Does Syaoran? o.O You'll only find out if you read! ^.~ Oh, and thanks a bunch to our reviewers! Wai!~  
  
T.Anjel: The next chapter is up and running. Thanks for the reviews, they're always fun to read and put a smile on my face. ^___^ Enjoy.  
  
Disclaimer: Same as usual, we don't own CCS.... Would we write fics if we did?  
  
Summary: Even a sweet woman has to have a fierce side, and Sakura proves it too well to Li-san in a sparring match.   
  
~*~Learn to Love Me - Chapter 3 – Sakura and the Kendo Club~*~  
  
"Let's get straight to business. I haven't got all day," Li-san began.  
  
"Hai," I said with a quick nod and approached the ready mats. Automatically, I began to stretch out of old habit. I stretched every muscle possible, whether I was sitting and reaching my toes, or just swinging my arms around to warm the muscles. "I'm ready," I announced after a couple of minutes.   
  
Li-san nodded and slid into a defensive stance. "Attack me," he ordered in his usual stiff demeanor.  
  
"Just like that?" I asked him.  
  
"I want to see how much skill you have, and how much more you have to practice," he explained dully. "Attack me."  
  
I gnawed at my lower lip, trying to concentrate on my opponent. Remember those lessons from Clow-sensei way back, I told myself, staring straight into Li-san's eyes. Relax and be aware of everything everywhere. With a slow breath, I readied myself in an offensive position. When I felt I was ready, and my old fights and lessons came flooding back to me, I attacked fiercely with a loud cry. I took off with amazing speed, and brought my right fist straight out, aiming for Li-san's chest. I barely recognized his eyes widen with surprise before he stumbled out of the way.   
  
I quickly regained my footing and pivoted to the right, where Li-san repositioned himself in another defensive stance. I yelled out again, totally engrossed in the fight, aiming lightning speed punches to the right and left; I even added a few kicks when my footing was balanced. I managed to get a few good hits in - usually when Li-san didn't see the attack coming, but my goal was to break down his defense. He blocked with barely any flaw, countering a punch here, brushing off a kick to the hip or ducking when necessary.   
  
We sparred for quite a while. I wasn't able to keep track of time, as I was paying too close of attention to the small battle. I jumped back a couple of feet after a small attack sequence I recalled a from few years back. I was panting, out of breath, and so was Li-san.   
  
"Are you sure you haven't practiced in a while?" he asked me, trying not to look fazed in the least.   
  
I scratched my head in embarrassment as I plopped down on the blue mat. "Iie," I replied. "I kind of dropped it before I started pursuing a teaching career. Nande? Was I that bad?"  
  
"Nan…iie!" Li-san said as his facial features altered from one expression to another. "You weren't that bad," he said, in a slightly strained tone. Was he pained in any way?   
  
"Do you think so?" I asked. What a compliment to receive from Li-san, whom I heard from Tomoyo-san was a master of all styles of jujutsu and kenjutsu.   
  
"Aa," he replied, turning his head away from me.   
  
"Li-san?" I asked.  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"Can we have a rematch?" I inquired. "This time, can you attack me as well?"  
  
He hesitated to answer. "What if you get hurt?" he asked in that weird, strained voice of his.   
  
"I could heal," I replied with simple logic. I immediately slid to another offensive stance. As if in response, Li-san went defensive. I began the same way: a speedy start and a straight-on punch to his abdomen. As I suspected, he dodged it in the same, clumsy way. My mindset was in a totally different place when I sparred with someone. I was more focused and less merciful to my opponent.   
  
"Attack me!" I yelled as I gave Li-san no chance to recover and rushed down on him with quick jabs and punches.   
  
His only response was to block off my attacks smoothly. With a frustrated yell, I quickened my pace to half of my maximum speed. Li-san's face suddenly contorted into a more focused expression. "Stop playing with me," I growled, landing a quick punch at his jaw. He stumbled back, but kept his eyes and mind on my moves and me.   
  
We stood feet apart, waiting for the other's move. I converted over to a defensive stance. "Attack," I whispered as a demand to my opponent. I saw him, and him only. Everything around me was at a blank. My whole mind was at a blank, except for him, the fight, and me.   
  
He shook his head at my order. "I can't," he said.   
  
"Why not?" I growled. "I'm no different from any other rival."  
  
He gave no answer, but he didn't attack, either. We stared each other down for who knows how long, but he was the first to relax and let down his guard, surrendering.   
  
I blinked, and everything that I blocked from my mind came flooding back: the gym, the mats, and the training session itself. "Are we done already?" I asked. "What do you think, Li-san?"  
  
"Aa…" He had a strange, slightly surprised expression on his face.   
  
"Did I do something wrong?" I asked worriedly.   
  
"I...iie!" He said, shaking himself from his stupor. "You did just fine."  
  
"That would be an understatement!" cried a voice from the gym doorway.   
  
"Eriol-kun!" I greeted in surprise. "Have you been watching this whole time?" I asked.  
  
"For the most part," he said with a nod, coming towards Li-san and me. "You have your style perfected for every punch, Kinomoto-san! I doubt there's anything you need to work on, ne, Li-san?"  
  
Li-san nodded his head slightly in agreement.   
  
"I don't think so," I said shyly. "It's really been a while since I've fought."  
  
"But you kept perfectly in tact with your moves," Eriol-kun said, his usual strange glint gone from his eyes. "That is nothing to be modest of."  
  
"Aa…."  
  
"Anyway!" Eriol-kun said, with a clap of his hands. "I think we could start this club very soon. We could post it up in the school newspaper, and you would do well to start the rumor from your class, Li-san. We will discuss its activities and such some other time. Sayonara, Li-san, Kinomoto-san. I've got to pick up Tomoyo-san for our date!" With that, Eriol-kun bounced out of the gym with a light step.   
  
"He's a great principal, ne, Li-san?" I commented.  
  
"Un," Li-san replied grumpily. "We're done here." He began folding up the mats.   
  
"Let me help," I said, folding up another pair of mats. Trying to strike up a conversation, I asked him, "Where do you live, Li-san?"  
  
"Near here," he replied vaguely, strapping the mats together.   
  
"Do you live alone?" I asked.  
  
"Hai," he replied.   
  
"Don't you get lonely?" I asked, wondering how the man got along being alone everywhere he went.   
  
"After living in a large house with four, noisy sisters, being alone seems like gift," he answered.  
  
"Demo…"  
  
"I will see you tomorrow, Ms. Kinomoto," Li-san said, reverting back to the English language. He turned on his heel and headed out of the gym.   
  
"If you need anyone to talk to, I'll always be here," I called out, offering my friendship to the teacher.   
  
I drove back to the shared apartment, having borrowed Tomoyo-san's car. Upon entering the apartment, I was greeted with silent furniture and a note on the table that read: I'll be back late. Tomoyo.  
  
I smiled at the letter and threw it in the garbage. There was not much to do, so I decided to flop on the couch and read a book Tomoyo-san recommended to me months back. After reading the first few lines, my mind drifted to Li-san. What was he doing now? He was probably working alone, eating alone, or watching television alone. I wondered if he had any friends. If he doesn't, I'll be his friend, I decided and wafted into a deep sleep.   
  
I woke up as the first rays of the sun beat through the blinds and attacked at my eyelids. I found Tomoyo-san had put a blanket over me. She was too kind. I stretched and yawned before folding the blanket into a neat square.   
  
That morning went by quickly. Tomoyo-san woke up ten minutes after I did; we ate breakfast, got ready for school, and then we were off.   
  
"How was your date yesterday?" I asked, buckling my seatbelt.  
  
"It was fine," Tomoyo-san answered. "We ate dinner, and he took me to the beach for fireworks."  
  
"How romantic!" I exclaimed.   
  
Tomoyo-san smiled in response.   
  
"I'll see you at lunch!" I called out after entering the school building, and we parted our different ways. I headed straight for Li-san's classroom, getting lost only once. "Good morning," I greeted, noticing Li-san's form bent over in its usual position at his desk.   
  
Li-san looked up and went back to work without a salutation. Was he mad at me?  
  
"I'm hoping Fridays are free for you, Ms. Kinomoto," he said, closing his notebook and sitting back in his chair.   
  
I nodded.   
  
"That's when we plan to hold the self-defense club," Li-san informed. "I already made a few flyers, which are to be put up by a few students later today throughout the school. The first meeting will be in two weeks, after Mr. Hiiragizawa and I discuss the club's activities, and so forth."  
  
I nodded again. "Is there anything I can do?" I asked.  
  
"No," he replied. "Just make sure to attend the meeting, which will be at the gym."  
  
"Is something wrong?" I asked Li-san, noticing a slight twitch in his eye and a more ruffled look in his demeanor than usual.   
  
"Nothing that concerns you," he replied, tucking away an envelope as he did so. Not as if I wanted to pry, but I noticed the name 'Meiling' written on the top of the envelope. I nodded for the third time before taking my seat in the back.   
  
I noticed that another row of desks had been added since yesterday to fit the large amount of students in the class. Li-san was really a caring person inside, I noted to myself as the first bell that morning rang. Students slowly poured into the room, some eyeing me and some just giving me amiable smiles. They were such sweet students.   
  
Once the late bell rang, Li-san began the lesson immediately, starting off with giving the students homework. They groaned, but copied down the assignment anyway. I did it as well. During the last minute of the period, Li-san mentioned the self-defense club.  
  
"Ms. Kinomoto and I will be supervising the club. You do not need any special qualifications for the club, except that you have to be passing every course," Li-san said in a stoic manner.  
  
When he mentioned my name, some students turned to stare at me in disbelief. Was it because I was a woman? I'll admit, I don't look too tough, and that could have been the possible reason as to why the students looked surprised. I shrugged with a smile, silently telling the students to give their attention to Li-san, who would probably be annoyed if the students didn't listen.   
  
During my free period, I decided to go visit Tomoyo-san again. Li-san would barely say any words, if any.   
  
"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo-san greeted, her hands covered in drying paint.   
  
I took a seat at one of the large tables. "Your class looks like fun," I commented, observing a messy array of paint splattered on a piece of paper.   
  
"They're fun to teach," Tomoyo-san said, continuing in cleaning up the mess left by the students. "But I wish they would just clean up after themselves."  
  
I laughed heartily. "I guess you're being too lenient on them."  
  
Tomoyo-san nodded. "I think so, too."  
  
"Ne, Tomoyo-san," I said. "Do you know a Meiling?"  
  
"Meiling?" Tomoyo asked, pondering the name. "Iie. I don't think so. Nande?"  
  
"I.…"  
  
"She, Kinomoto-san, was betrothed to Li-san a couple of years back," a voice said from the doorway.   
  
"You're everywhere, aren't you, Eriol-kun?" I asked with a smile.   
  
"Of course," he replied. "But that's beside the point. How would you know about Meiling-san?"   
  
I blushed, scratching the back of my head as I did so. "Li-san seemed a bit worried today, and when I asked, he said that it was nothing and hid an envelope with the name 'Meiling' on it."  
  
"Sou ka…," Eriol-kun said, scratching his chin. "It could be possible that Meiling-san is coming back to haunt Li-san's dreams."  
  
"Eh?" I asked, in total confusion at Eriol-kun's words.   
  
"You'll find out soon enough, Ms. Kinomoto. I am too sure of it."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Later that day, I drove out to the college to meet with my supervisor. I still had to check in every so often, even if I wasn't really taking any classes at the college.  
  
To become a teacher, you had to take regular courses for the classes you wanted to teach, and another course on how to teach. The teacher of the teaching class was the supervisor, supervising the activity of all the students in her class, no matter what they wanted to teach. My supervisor was Rienhart-sensei.  
  
I pulled into the lot and parked, locking my car before I went into the building. I walked through the main hallway, knowing my way to her office by heart. Hopefully she'd still be there, finishing up her notes before going home for the day.  
  
The wooden door was slightly open, and I knocked, peeking around the door a little. Rienhart-sensei looked up and spotted me, eyes lighting in recognition. "Ah, Ms. Kinomoto," she said, pulling over a sheet of paper from a stack. "What have you to report for me?"  
  
"Well, as you know, I've been assigned to Mr. Li's World History classes out at the high school," I stated, and she nodded in acknowledgment. "I'll be teaching later on the in the year, after I've had a chance to study his learning style. I'll also be doing all of the assigned homework with the classes...." I paused for a moment, before asking, "Dr. Rienhart, do you think it's odd that Mr. Li gave me a book to read, instead of discussing his curriculum with me?"  
  
She chuckled briefly and replied, "Many a student teacher has questioned that. Mr. Li is quite a good teacher, even if he's a little strange. That book" - she looked at it over her half-moon glasses - "will have everything you need to know about the course in it. Mr. Li isn't very social, and he finds it easier to keep things organized in a book, rather than chance forgetting something and ruining his image. You'll read it, right?"  
  
"Yes," I responded.  
  
"Good. If you have any questions, ask Mr. Li or myself - we'll be happy to answer them. Anything else? Problems in the classroom?"  
  
I hesitated a second before saying, "No, there haven't been any. Thanks for your help!" I smiled at her and left, walking back to my car.  
  
After I sat down in the driver's seat, I opened my backpack and looked at Li-san's curriculum book. It was bound with those annoying black spirals, and the pages were bent. I doubted Li-san ever took the time to re-print out a copy. As it was, it seemed to be well-read. Flipping open the cover, I discovered a table of contents. Laughing at how organized Li-san was, I started reading on the first page, determined to learn everything I needed to know, even if it killed me.  
  
TBC.  
  
C-Mage: What's in the envelope with 'Meiling' on it? Will she come back to ruin Sakura and Syaoran's romance? If you can call it that yet.... ^.^' Will Sakura ever have it easier with Syaoran? So many burning questions.... Arigatou for reading! And arigatou gozaimasu for the many reviews. We luff them!  
  
T.Anjel: Wah~~ I have a feeling this fic is going to end up being really long. ^__^;; And I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.   
Review and I'll be happy.  
If you don't…thanks for reading anyway! 


	4. Syaoran's ExFiancée

C-Mage: Konnichiwa! So, we might actually succeed in getting a chapter out every two weeks. *shrugs* Wouldn't that be great? Anyway, arigatou gozaimasu to all of you who review you're so nice! And, since you're so nice, I'm going to do what I did for Hooded. Anyone who wishes to be notified of new chapters has only to give me their e-mail addy, and I'll e-mail you.... o.O  
  
T.Anjel: Wow…I feel so lazy next to C-mage… T-T Doing all this work with the e-mails and just being so responsible…::sniff:: Well anyway! I would like to thank everyone for reading this fic and reviewing it and just being so….great. Really…I just love you all…   
  
Disclaimer: Same as always. We don't own CCS. You don't own CCS. Okay? ^.~  
  
Summary: Meiling's back in Syaoran's life and doesn't plan to leave any day soon. She's just one of the small problems beginning to surface as Syaoran goes to a party and doesn't feel all too good.   
  
Learn to Love Me - Chapter 4 - Syaoran's ex-fiancée   
  
I unlocked my apartment door and walked in, faced with the same drab room that I'd been faced with since I'd moved in years ago. The front room had yellowing walls and the essential pieces of furniture: couch, end tables, recliner. The spot where a television stood in most homes was blank - I was too busy to watch anything, and none of the programs were interesting, anyway. Behind the front room there was a cramped kitchen and dining room. A small table stood to one side, while the other was occupied by kitchen utensils. Off to the left was my bedroom and bathroom, decorated as sparsely as possible. A teacher didn't make a great income, and I had no need for excess.  
  
I took off my shoes and replaced them with my favorite, green house slippers, flipping on the lights as I did so. After sitting the recliner, I placed my briefcase on the floor, pulling out papers that I needed to look through. There were lesson plans for the next school day, worksheets we had done in my classes, and information on the self defense club.  
  
After a while of working, someone knocked on the door. I frowned; no one ever visited me. Putting my papers aside with an annoyed grunt, I stood up and walked to the door. Out of habit, I looked through the security peephole.  
  
What I saw earned a groan from me: Meiling.  
  
Meiling and I had been betrothed a few years back. She was an acquaintance of mine through the Li clan, and she'd been fascinated with me since we'd first met during childhood. She'd frequently trained with me, and eventually she'd asked the Elders for an arranged marriage. Of course they agreed, and so we were betrothed. Eventually my sisters called me up to discuss the marriage, and I was shocked: I was engaged? What was that girl thinking? I broke off the engagement as soon as was possible and left things at that.  
  
I opened the door and stood aside, welcoming her in. She smiled at me and squealed, "Syaoran!" She threw her arms around me, black hair flying everywhere, and kissed my unyielding mouth. I pushed her back, closed the door, and walked back to my chair.  
  
Smiling uncontrollably, she sat down across me on the couch, practically bursting with excitement. "Oh, Syaoran, I'm so glad I found you!" she cried. "The Elders didn't want to give me your address, but I kept on trying, and finally they gave in!" Pausing for a second, she looked around, red eyes flicking everywhere. "Syaoran, your apartment is so...drab," she finally said, looking back at me.  
  
"I prefer it that way," I replied, full well knowing I was lying. I hated my apartment. "Meiling," I asked, "why did you come here?" I'd been warned of her impending arrival a few days ago by my youngest sister- she'd felt it her duty to inform me, and she was never against a little gossiping.  
  
"Why, to get you back, of course," she answered, as if it were obvious. "I don't know why you broke off the engagement, but I'm here to convince you to marry me."  
  
"Meiling, I broke off the engagement because I wasn't in love with you," I stated stiffly.  
  
"Oh." She pouted briefly, then looked back up at me. "Well, then, I'll get you to fall in love with me! Ne, Syaoran, when do you want to go on a date?"  
  
I reached up to rub my temples; I felt a headache coming on, and it wasn't small. "Um...can I wait a few days, Meiling?"  
  
"Sure!" She rifled about in her purse for a second, then came up with a pad of paper and a pen. She scribbled on it and reached out to give a piece to me. "Here's my information on where I'm staying. Call me whenever you -"  
  
Bring bring. Bring bring. We looked at the phone, surprise registering with us both. I'd never gotten phone calls - they were as infrequent as visitors.  
  
Meiling reached the phone before I did, picking it up and saying, "Hello? Li residence." Surprise was evidently expressed on her face, then she turned to me. "It's for you. A Ms. Kinomoto...?" She said the name as if it was offending to the ear.  
  
I grabbed the phone from her. "Moshi moshi?" I asked, slipping into her preferred Japanese and wondering why she was calling me.  
  
"Li-san?" answered a tentative voice I recognized as Kinomoto's.  
  
"Hai. What is it?"  
  
"Well, I noticed a problem with the homework.... The assignment is over chapter two, when the students are just starting chapter one."  
  
I mentally slapped my head. I was such an idiot! "Arigatou for notifying me, Kinomoto-san. Don't do the homework - I'll notify the class on Monday." I hung up and replaced the phone on its stand, noticing Meiling's questioning yet demanding look.  
  
"Syaoran...," she began, "who is Ms. Kinomoto?"  
  
I sighed. "Ms. Kinomoto is my student teacher. She called to say that she found a problem in my assignment." A possessive look was still in Meiling's eyes, but I ignored it. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was getting late. "You'd better go, Meiling. I still have work to do, and it's late." I picked up the card and placed it near the phone before standing up. I walked her to the door, where I dismissed her.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The next day was a Saturday, but I woke up bright and early nonetheless. I dressed in practice clothes and drove to the high school, running drills in the empty gym. Afterwards, I went back home and showered, dressing in a comfortable outfit of T-shirt and jeans.  
  
Sitting again in my recliner, I picked up two pieces of paper: the envelope with 'Meiling' on it and the paper Meiling had given me. A phone number and address glared up at me from the latter, and I suspected that Meiling was staying at a hotel until she could find an apartment. The envelope held the letter my sister had sent me, informing me of Meiling's arrival. I hadn't wanted to believe it, but apparently she had been right.  
  
Sighing, I thought about my situation. I didn't really want to "court" Meiling (I winced at the thought), but she gave me no other choice. She was known for being persistent and getting what she wanted, no matter what. If I refused to take her out, she'd bug me until I was worn out. That left me with one choice, until I could think of something better - give her what she wanted.  
  
I was reaching for the phone, every cell in my body resisting, when it rang. I yanked my outstretched arm back in surprise. What if it was Meiling?  
  
Don't be silly, I chided myself. It could be someone else.  
  
Angry at how paranoid I was being, I growled and picked up the phone. "Hello?" I heard myself ask.  
  
"Aa, Li-kun!" said a Japanese voice I knew too well.  
  
"Hai, Hiiragizawa-san?"  
  
"I'm just calling to remind you about the party tonight. I wouldn't want you to miss it. You don't socialize enough, as it is. Will you be there at seven?"  
  
"Un."  
  
"Good! Ja." Hiiragizawa-san hung up, and I put the phone back.  
  
Leaning back in my chair, I smacked my forehead. I had completely forgotten about the party! Hiiragizawa-san always held a party to commemorate the start of a new school year, and everyone was forced to attend. It was a chance to meet new teachers and student teachers, he said, but I believe he just liked hounding me into these things. He still does, in fact.  
  
I glanced at my watch and saw that it was only eleven in the morning. I had a good seven hours to spare until I had to start getting ready, if I wanted to make a prompt appearance. I wasn't really in the mood to call Meiling anymore, and, if I remembered correctly, I was getting a bit low on food.  
  
I'll go grocery shopping, then, I thought.  
  
I got up and walked over to my refrigerator, opening the metal door to peer into its depths. Right now all I had was some catsup, an almost empty carton of orange juice, and a jar of old pickles. I picked of the jar of pickles in disgust and dumped it into my trashcan, then turned back to the fridge. I was still faced with the same things, so I drank the rest of the orange juice, threw the carton away, then closed the door and went to get my shoes.  
  
Shrugging into my jacket - fall was approaching - I closed and locked my door, then headed out to my car. It took five minutes to get to the nearest grocery store. I parked, then grabbed a cart and started to roam the aisles.  
  
By the time I reached the ice cream section, my cart was full of snack foods, produce, and sandwich supplies. I was debating over whether or not to get the box of chocolate almond ice cream when another cart crashed into mine headlong.  
  
"I'm so sorry!" cried a voice I vaguely recognized. My head whipped over to stare at the flushing girl in front of me. By her auburn hair and downcast emerald eyes I placed her as Kinomoto.  
  
"It's all right. Nothing's broken," I told her, staying in English. It wouldn't do to speak Japanese in a public place. She started and stared at me in horror.  
  
"Mr. Li! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to...."  
  
"As I said, it's okay. Now, why were you going so fast?" I was amazed at how nice I was being. Normally I would rip the head off of anyone so reckless.  
  
"I told Tomoyo I'd hurry, so she wouldn't be late for Eriol...." Horror erupted again on her face. "Tomoyo-chan! I forgot!" She hurriedly grabbed some frozen items and pushed her cart away. "Sayonara, Mr. Li," she mumbled, probably not realizing that in her sudden spurt of rush she began speaking in her native tongue.  
  
"I'll see you at Mr. Hiiragizawa's party," I said, having no control over my voice box.  
  
Kinomoto look startled, then smiled. "I'll see you there, Mr. Li." She headed off in the other direction, presumably to the registers.  
  
I smiled slightly, then shook my head. What was I doing? I had never been more than civil to any one of my student teachers, so why was I acting friendly now? Angry again at myself, I threw the box of ice cream as if it were at blame for my behavior into my cart and marched to the check-outs.  
  
When I got home, I made my way up to my apartment, cursing the amount of items I had to buy. With so many, and only one person, it took numerous trips to carry them all. Eventually I had them up and packed away, and I could relax.  
  
I sat in my recliner, ice cream box and spoon in hand, and starting working on my papers. Sure, it may not be the most nutritious lunch, but it was more comforting than something healthy. I worked away, recording grades and staring at the pages until my eyes hurt.  
  
Finally taking a small stretch break, I rubbed my eyes and looked at my watch. Kuso! It was 6:28 p.m. Time flies when you're having fun, eh? I dashed into my small bedroom and changed my clothes. From past experience, I knew that it would be semi-formal, requiring me to dress nice, but not in a tux. I dressed in nice slacks and a green shirt. Green is my favorite color, after all. I grabbed a pair of nice shoes and dashed to the front room, trading slippers for shoes. I'd neglected to change socks when I'd changed, and I'd just have to hope that no one would notice the white cotton.  
  
A quick glance in the mirror by my door told me that my hair was passable, and I bolted out the door, barely remembering to get my keys in time. I had to make a trip back for my jacket, and by the time I was ready to leave, it was 6:42. I raced down the stairs, threw myself into my car, and left.  
  
Eriol had reserved a room at the Rec. Center for the party, and I reached there with three minutes to spare. The room was nicely decorated, with streamers of the school colors hanging artfully from the ceiling and posters on the walls, courtesy of Daidouji. There was a table of food off to the right, arranged by the school chefs. They appreciated the chance to prove once a year that they were capable of making more than cheap pizza, and it was loaded with edibles. Occasional tables with chairs finished the look, and a disc jockey was set up in the corner.  
  
"Li-san!" called Hiiragizawa-san, waving from by the food table. "This punch is delicious!" I nodded and headed over to the table, eye set on the dim sum platter. One of the things that hadn't left me since my departure from China was a love for dim sum, and I wanted to see how these American cooks fared.  
  
I grabbed a paper plate, napkin, cup, and utensils and loaded up my plate with dim sum, saving room for those little sandwiches people eat at parties. I moved down the table and ladled punch into my cup. "You'd best be careful," Hiiragizawa-san warned when I started to move away. "You never know if someone has spiked the punch." He winked behind his glasses, then turned back to Daidouji. Shaking my head, I sought out a table in a secluded corner of the room, where I could eat in peace.  
  
Daidouji found me a while after I'd finished my food, as I was daydreaming. She cleared her throat, and I looked up, blinking. Daidouji was marvelous in a gown of deep navy, which contrasted beautifully with her pale skin. Her violet locks were kept back by a heavy barrette, her amethyst eyes calm. "Li-san, would you dance with me?" She smiled innocently; she was anything but. Chances were she had been sent over by Hiiragizawa-san to force me to interact.  
  
"Of course," I responded, standing up. I'd been taught to dance when I was little, using Meiling or my youngest sister as a dance partner, and I was well-versed in the styles. We started onto the dance floor, and I led her smoothly.  
  
"So, Li-san," she said in Japanese. It was her preferred language, too, even if it might make those around us uncomfortable. "How has teaching been this year? The students any tougher than last year?"  
  
"Iie. They're just the same as ever, always trying to get out of work and slack off. How have yours been? Any new art prodigies?"  
  
Daidouji smiled. "They're just as messy, but some show a little talent. It's amazing what these students can turn out when they try. For example, I've had them painting a still life recently, and one student decided that, instead of paint the scene with normal colors, they'd reverse them. It's making for a beautiful effect. Would you like to come down and see it some time?"  
  
"Hai," I replied. I may not be much of a one for mingling, but I can when I'm forced to. There's nothing like being impolite at a public function to earn disapproval from the Elders. "Is it like the negative of a photograph?"  
  
Daidouji nodded. "Just about, but the colors aren't exactly correct." She giggled. "Li-san, I never knew you could actually carry on a conversation."  
  
I made a face. "Arigatou, Daidouji-san," I said stiffly.  
  
She batted my arm lightly. "Oh, I'm just being silly." She straightened, then looked me in the eye. "How are things between you and Sakura-chan?" Somehow I knew this had been the focus of her conversation. I felt the first pang of a headache and hid a grimace, hoping it would go away.  
  
"All right," I answered, not untruthfully. Things had been going better between us, if not as well as I'd like. "She's very stubborn, isn't she?"  
  
"Un. She wouldn't be Sakura-chan if she weren't." She grinned, pearly teeth glinting. "Don't be too hard on her, Li-san."  
  
"Na -" I was cut off by Hiiragizawa-san.  
  
"May I cut in?" he asked silkily.  
  
"Hai," I replied. Daidouji stepped aside to dance with Hiiragizawa-san, and I moved to see Hiiragizawa-san's dance partner. Just my luck - it was Kinomoto. She looked nervous, but I stepped over and offered my arm to her. Obviously startled, she took it, and I started to lead.  
  
Kinomoto had her hair back, for once seeming to take the time to do something with it other than a ponytail. It was plaited down her back, a few strands left to frame her face. Her dress was a pale pink color, giving her a sun-kissed effect that contrasted with her eyes. She smiled at me sheepishly. "Konbanwa, Li-san."  
  
"Konbanwa, Kinomoto-san. Are you enjoying yourself?"  
  
"Un. I never really knew how many teachers there were...." She looked around, eyes wide. She's cute, I thought, before catching myself. "Ne, Li-san," she started, sounding awkward, "who answered your phone yesterday?"  
  
"An acquaintance of mine," I answered, refusing to give out information about my private life to fuel gossip and curt from the headache. Enough was said about me as it was.  
  
"Aa." She stared into space for a while, lost in thought.  
  
"Kinomoto-san," I said after some time, "arigatou for telling me about the assignment. I wouldn't have caught it if you hadn't...."  
  
"Hmm?" she asked, coming to attention. "Oh. Douitashimashite. I just hope the poor students aren't too confused." She giggled into her hand. "Li-san, you're a really great dancer."  
  
I couldn't repress the blush tinting my cheeks. "Arigatou. I was taught when I was little, by my mother. I always had my sisters as dance partners, and they'd boss me around...."  
  
Kinomoto laughed. "You have sisters?"  
  
"Hai. Four of them, really." My head was feeling light, for some reason.  
  
Kinomoto nodded. "I know what you mean. I have an older brother, and he always teased me." She smiled wistfully. "I do miss him, though. Do you miss your sisters?"  
  
"Hai," I answered, surprised that I actually did. It had been lonely with just me for the past few years. All of a sudden, the room spun a little, and my headache grew. I reached up to rub my temple and heard myself ask, "Can we sit down for a little?"  
  
"Oh!" cried Kinomoto, eyes wide with worry. "Daijoubu desu ka?" She led me to a table close to the cleared area and moved to sit opposite me.  
  
"H...hai," I answered. "It's just a headache." I was lying, and I knew it. "Maybe some punch...." I started to stand up, and the pain in my forehead increased. I sat back down hard and clutched my forehead.  
  
"Li-san, you stay here. I'll get some water." Kinomoto stood up and rushed over to the refreshments table, grabbed a cup, then went to the water fountain by the wall, filling it up. She came back over and pressed it into my hand. "Drink this. I heard that Eriol-kun spiked the punch." She smiled a little crookedly. "Maybe alcohol doesn't agree with you."  
  
I murmured my thanks and drank the water, trying not to go too fast. "I should probably go home...." I tried to stand up, but the room spun, and I fell back into my chair.  
  
"Hoe!" Kinomoto reached out to touch my forehead and yanked her hand back. "You're burning up! You need to get home, but you can't take yourself...." She bit her lip in thought. "I'll just have to take you home," she decided, eyes confidant. "Can you stay awake to tell me how to reach your house?" I nodded dimly. "Good. Tomoyo-san!" She turned to beckon Daidouji.  
  
"Hai?" Daidouji asked as she reached us.  
  
"Li-san is sick, so I'm going to take him home. Can you take the car home yourself?"  
  
"Hai. Sakura-chan...." Daidouji looked hesitant. "Are you sure this is the best idea? Maybe Eriol-kun could take him home."  
  
"Iie. Eriol-kun is the host and has to entertain everyone. I don't want it to be a burden on him. Arigatou, Tomoyo-san." Kinomoto smiled at her briefly, then turned back to me. "Now, Li-san. May I have your keys?"  
  
"They're in my jacket," I said, pointing to the coat rack.  
  
"Aa. Well, we'll just have to get them." She stood up and eased me into a standing position, leaning me against her shoulder. Slowly she walked me over until I was able to grab my coat and pull it off the hanger. She fished around in the pockets until she came up with a set of keys. Then she led me outside, and I led her to my car. She unlocked it and shoved me into the passenger seat, taking the driver's side for herself. "Which way do we go?" she asked me.  
  
"Head down Fifth Street," I said. "Heading east." She nodded and started the car, going down Fifth. Eventually I told her to turn down a street, then pull into the large parking lot by my apartment complex. She stopped the car and got out, helping me out as well. "Apartment 36," I said. She nodded and marched me into the building, into the elevator, and down the hall to my apartment. Clutching the keys, she unlocked my door and ushered me in.  
  
"Now, you need to sit down," she said, helping me to my room and into my bed. We'd neglected to take our shoes off, and I hoped that I wouldn't have to sweep too much afterwards. "I'll get you a damp washcloth...." She bustled off to the kitchen, and the last thing I remembered was a cool cloth on my skin.  
  
TBC  
  
C-Mage: So, how was it? We left you with a beautiful cliffhanger.... Don't you just love us? ^.~ Oh, Tomoyo and Eriol are great. *o* Now, what's going to happen when Sakura takes care of Syaoran...? Heehee.  
  
T.Anjel: You know what? I would like to thank you…yes YOU! For reading this. Do you like? Do you like? I don't care if you don't like, cuz I like. ^___^ ;; I love this cliffhanger too…can you just feel the love?!?!  
I thank you for reading, but I'll love you if you review. 


	5. Sakura's Nurse Mode

T.Anjel: =P~ Hello folks! Back for more? Great! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and we present to you….chapter FIVE!!!  
  
C-Mage: Hello to everyone.... You're all so nice! *o* Sixty-nine whole reviews, and after only four chapters. That's, um, 17.25 per chapter. -.-' Here's a shout-out to Teeny-chan, who hasn't reviewed chapter four.... *glares at Teeny-chan* As for the rest of you.... *grins* You're so kakkoi! Wai!~  
  
Disclaimer: Who owns CCS?! Not me…  
  
Summary – Sakura brings a sick Syaoran back to his house, but only to find there is no one to care for him. So, what else is there to do than to take care of the stubborn teacher herself?  
  
Learn to Love Me - Chapter 5 – Sakura's Nurse Mode  
  
I unconsciously gnawed at my lower lip. What was I supposed to do? Li-san had totally passed out, and there was no way I was going to leave him home alone with a high fever. With a determined grunt, I took off Li-san's large shoes and placed them next to the front door, making sure to take mine off as well. There was no doubt about it; I was in "Nurse Sakura" mode. I would always take care of Onii-san or Otou-san whenever they got sick. Li-san shouldn't be much different.  
  
I took a quick tour around the small apartment complex before heading back to Li-san's bedroom. He was breathing heavily, the thin blanket rising and falling back as he did. I took the cloth from his forehead and rinsed it off in a small basin of water.   
  
"You've got quite the fever, Li-san," I murmured, dabbing at his face to wipe off the sweat. I gently wiped his neck and noticed his shirt was damp with sweat. "This is going to be difficult," I told myself. I searched through Li-san's closet to find a clean T-shirt. He didn't have a stuffed closet, but I was able to find a considerably large shirt that was decorated simply with dancing Disney characters. I couldn't help but smile at the prospect of seeing the stubborn teacher wearing it.   
  
"Li-san," I said quietly. "You're going to have to help me out of your shirt, okay?"  
  
He groaned and said something, but his words were slurred together, sounding like "Mmgsshusgh". "I'll take that as an 'okay'," I told him. "C'mon. Sit up," I said as if instructing a baby, bringing the sleeping man up to a sitting position on the bed. I heard him gurgle out another string of words, but they didn't make any sense to me than they had before. He was probably sleep talking. I grabbed the bottom of the shirt and tugged it over his head and arms.   
  
Li-san definitely had a nice body. I couldn't help but blush and feel as if I was intruding somewhere I shouldn't have been. I hastily washed Li-san's back and chest with the small towel and helped him into the Disney shirt.   
  
My face was probably as red as a tomato, but I only had the gods to thank for making sure Li-san didn't wake up to see me changing him. "You can lay back down, Li-san," I said, hoping he would hear me through his fever and dreams. He groaned again in response and flopped back onto the pillow I quickly covered with an extra towel.   
  
I rinsed a small towel in the basin of water and squeezed out the excess in one motion. Placing the towel on the man's forehead, I couldn't resist smiling at how helpless he looked compared to the stoic expression he held during class.   
  
I let out a sigh, contemplating on whether to stay and watch Li-san or to call a relative over. I decided to call a relative and went over to the kitchen where his phone was. Searching through his cabinets, I wasn't able to come across any phone book of any kind. "Does he not keep in touch with family members?" I pondered, but let the thought pass.   
  
"I guess I'll have to stay," I said aloud and from the look of his house, there wasn't much to do. The man didn't even have a TV. And there was no way I was going to stay in my dress. I looked down to see the pink dress Tomoyo picked out from her closet, telling me there was no way I was going to the party without wearing it. I wondered if Li-san would mind if I wore any of his clothes. "Hoe…," I mumbled at the thought, but the more I thought about it, the more uncomfortable the dress became.   
  
Finally making up my mind, I tiptoed back into Li-san's room, feeling as if I shouldn't be there with the aim of ransacking his drawers for clothes. I knew it would take a miracle to wake Li-san up from his deep slumber, but I tried to make the least amount of noise as possible. "Gomen nasai, Li-san," I whispered frantically to the sleeping figure, hoping it would make up for the invasion of privacy.  
  
I knelt down in front of a large, oak bureau and opened the lowest drawer. It contained neatly folded pants, and it didn't take me long to find a pair of sweats lying on top. I cautiously took out the dark green pants, smelling of fresh laundry, and peered into the next drawer. Most fortunately, it contained the same; neatly arranged clothes, but they were sweaters this time.   
  
With much care, I pulled out the top sweater, which was white with bold letters reading "BOO" across the top. I shut the dresser quietly and sneaked out of the room, the feeling of invasion still pounding in my head.   
  
After shutting Li-san's door, I quickly changed into his clothes in the bathroom and immediately noticed that they were a few sizes too big. The legs of the pants pooled at my feet, and the sweater went way past my hands and almost reached my knees. I suddenly felt like a little kid again. Not wanting to search for anything smaller, which I doubted Li-san had, I took my dress and neatly hung it over the living room couch so as not to wrinkle it.   
  
"Li-san should probably eat something," I suddenly decided and headed to his small kitchen. I was definitely on familiar turf as I flung open the refrigerator door and scanned the full shelves packed with chocolate, yogurt, fruit, and a little meat. I quickly flipped through all the cabinets and drawers, barely finding any kind of spices or even bowls and dishes.   
  
With a determined grunt, I clumsily rolled up the large sleeves, having them bunch uncomfortably at my elbows. I opened the fridge again and took out the necessary items to cook up a decent soup.   
  
To me, cooking was like a sixth sense and didn't require me to concentrate on what I was doing. My mind trailed off as I chopped the vegetables and stirred the thin soup. Li-san must be real lonely living all by himself, I thought, thinking about the sick man lying in bed. I wonder if he has any friends. Baka, I chided myself. Of course Li-san would have friends.   
  
After deciding that the soup was done, I let it sit for a minute to cool while I searched the house for medicine. I managed to find a small medicine box stashed in the corner of the bathroom closet and took out a small bottle of Tylenol. Taking it back to the kitchen with me, I put the medicine, a bowl of soup, a glass of water, and a spoon on a cracked tray I had found.   
  
Carefully balancing the contents of the tray in one hand, I used the other to quietly open the door. I set the tray down on a small bedside table, placing the basin of water that was previously sitting on it on the floor. I took the towel from Li-san's forehead and dunked it in the basin of water.   
  
"Gomen nasai, Li-san," I whispered, hoping it was enough to wake him up. It wasn't, so I gently nudged him. "I don't want to wake you, but you're going to have to eat something and take medicine."  
  
Li-san groaned out a groggy protest, but it was enough of a sign to me saying that he was basically awake. "Can you sit up for me?" I asked, leaving no room for arguments. I helped Li-san sit up on his bed, me doing most of the work for him. "You're awake?" I questioned again, seeing Li-san's eyes crack open and squinting against the dim light.   
  
Li-san opened and closed his mouth, and I immediately placed the glass of water to his parched lips. He gulped down half the glass and attempted to speak again. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice cracked and sounding like a frog.  
  
"You got really sick back at the party, and I drove you home, remember?" I asked. Li-san's eyes were distant, but I knew he tried to comprehend the words I spoke through the thick haze that usually takes over one's mind when sick. Not waiting for Li-san to ask another question, I took the bowl of soup in my hands and fed him a spoonful. "You're going to have to finish this," I said, feeding him another spoonful of my special thin, yet rich, soup.   
  
Li-san nodded and drank down the rest of the soup obediently. His head lolled back against the wall. Hoe! He's falling back asleep, I thought frantically. "Li-san! Li-san!" I said. "Eat the medicine before sleeping, ne?" He nodded in response and allowed me to plop two pills in his mouth and feed him the rest of the water. He quickly sunk back in the bed, already fast asleep. I couldn't help but smile. "Feel better, Li-san," I murmured and kissed his forehead. I picked up the habit from Onii-chan and Otou-san and blushed as I realized I had unintentionally kissed Li-san's forehead. I thanked the gods for the third time that day for keeping the poor man asleep.   
  
I hastily grabbed the tray and scuttled back into the kitchen, hoping that keeping myself busy would keep my mind off of my previous action. I gently put all the items on the tray into the sink to wash later, and I took out another bowl from a cabinet above the stove. I filled the bowl halfway with soup and ate it while standing up in the kitchen, feeling too awkward to sit alone and quiet at Li-san's table. It was still strange as I quietly slurped the soup, only having the ticking clock for company. I tried to finish my small dinner as quickly as possible and washed the dishes, having the added sound of running water to soothe my ears.  
  
With the lack of dishes needing to washed, the deed was done quickly. I skeptically looked around the house, wondering what there was to do to pass some time. I continually had to pull up Li-san's sweatpants as they dragged along his spotless floor as I scanned every room to find something to do.   
  
I finally decided to read a book from a small bookshelf in Li-san's room. After tiptoeing quietly out, I settled myself on his couch in the living room and began reading the book. Immediately after reading the first two pages, my eyes felt dry, and I had to keep on blinking to keep them moist. After reading the third page, I realized all the words I just read had oozed out of my brain as quickly as it was read.   
  
My head began to feel heavy, and my eyelids decided to suddenly weigh three times more than usual. Without hesitation, I gave into sleep, forgetting I had a book in my hands and letting it drop to the floor.   
  
I awoke when I heard a constant rapping at the door. I felt as if I had just closed my eyes to take a nap, but the clock told me I had been sleeping for about two hours. I groggily got up from the couch and hustled over to the chipped door. I flung it open, hoping the knocking wouldn't wake up Li-san as well.   
  
In the doorway stood a woman an inch taller than I was with perfectly straight, black hair reaching her waist. She was a beautiful woman, no doubt about it, dressed in a tight-fitting skirt and blouse, topping it off with a long jacket. Once she saw me, she immediately frowned, staring me up and down with her piercing eyes.   
  
I realized I must've looked like a total mess, just having awoken from the couch and in clothes ten times too big for me. "Can I help you?" I asked, trying not to flinch from under her gaze.   
  
"Where's Syaoran?" she asked impatiently. She spoke English fluently, but I was still able to hear her accent through her words. "And who the hell are you?" she added as an afterthought. Her voice was familiar, and I must have been taking a long time in trying to match her voice to a face, because she began tapping her shoes irritably on the marble of the hallway.   
  
"Oh! I'm sorry," I quickly said. "Uhm…Mr. Li is sleeping right now. He's extremely sick, and I'm watching over him tonight."  
  
For some strange reason, the woman didn't seem to be satisfied with my answer. "And who are you?" she repeated.  
  
"I'm a student teacher and am working with Mr. Li right now," I replied.   
  
"So you were the one on the phone," she said, her thick lips twitching as she said this.   
  
That's right! I thought, finally remembering her voice as the woman who picked up Li-san's phone when I called to inform him of the mistake on the homework.   
  
I felt the woman's scrutinizing eyes run over me again before she simply stated, "I don't like you, and you better stay away from Syaoran if you know what is good for you."  
  
I didn't say anything, but let her inside, shutting the door behind her as she slipped into a pair of slippers. "I won't even ask what you're doing in his clothes," she drawled. "I really hate this place," she added under her breath, quickly scanning the apartment. "You said he was sleeping? In his room?"  
  
I nodded. "But you shouldn't disturb him! He's extremely sick…."  
  
"I will do what I want, when I want," the woman said, turning swiftly around to face me and challenging me with her squinted eyes. "I'm sure you don't have a problem with that, especially since I'm Syaoran's fiancée."  
  
I immediately reacted to the news by biting my lower lip. It was beginning to be a bad habit. Before she said anything else, if she was even planning on it, I saw Li-san's slouched figure dragging himself out of his room.   
  
"Li-san!" I whispered as loudly as I could in surprise. I quickly strode past the stranger and wrapped one of Li-san's arms around my shoulders to keep him steady on his feet. "You should be resting, Li-san!" I said quietly.   
  
As if he didn't hear me, he adjusted his eyes to the light and squinted at the woman walking towards him. "Meiling?" he croaked.   
  
"Oh, Syaoran!" the woman said a little too loudly, for Li-san flinched at her voice. "You look terrible!" She quickly walked up to us and shoved me aside, taking my place by his side.   
  
Li-san pushed her away, quite roughly, in fact, and growled, "What the hell are you doing here, Meiling?"   
  
For fiancés, the two didn't seem to have the best relationship, but I didn't want to say anything amidst their argument.   
  
"What do you mean? I just stopped by to see you! Is that too bad?" Meiling asked, her tone of voice changing drastically. She spoke to me as if she was a snake mocking her next meal, while to Li-san, her voice was strained to a high pitch and sounded like a cat purring in its sleep.   
  
"Yes, it is, because I'm really not in the mood to deal with you right now," Li-san said, his eyes looking extremely angry and tense.   
  
"You seem to be able to deal with this stupid student teacher of yours just fine," Meiling argued, her voice dropping just a few notes lower. "Is she some special exception for your attention?"  
  
Li-san's eyes flickered to me for a moment as if he just realized I was there, dressed in his clothes, no less. "I never asked her to be here," he grumbled. I felt hurt by his words and had no reason to argue, because they were true. "Just leave, Meiling," he added in exasperation.  
  
Meiling's nostrils flared with unspoken anger as she kicked her slippers off her feet. She roughly put her shoes on and slammed the door with such force that the only picture hanging in Li-san's apartment shook against the wall.   
  
I let out a breath I forgot I was holding and saw Li-san collapse to the floor, leaning heavily against the wall.   
  
"Li-san!" I cried, struggling over to him and helping him back on his feet. I did most of the work as he attempted to walk back to his room and lay down. "You shouldn't strain yourself, Li-san," I said as if scolding a child.   
  
"She was so loud," Li-san grumbled, closing his eyes and breathing evenly.   
  
I smiled. "Your fiancée was only worried," I answered.  
  
"My what?" Li-san said with a hint of what I thought to be disgust in his voice. He peeked open an eye, signaling me to answer the question.  
  
"She told me she was your fiancée," I said. "Is she not?"  
  
Li-san let out a choked laugh. At least, I'm pretty sure it was a laugh. "I won't marry that damned woman, even if it costs me my life."  
  
"You shouldn't say that, Li-san!" I scolded.   
  
He just smirked and shook his head.   
  
I let out a defeated sigh and dabbed at his forehead with a cold cloth. "You should get back to sleep, Li-san," I whispered.  
  
"I'm dizzy," he complained. I couldn't help myself but grin at the complaint. It only reminded me that Li-san was as ordinary as anyone else.   
  
"If you go to sleep, you'll get better quicker," I reassured, rinsing out the small towel in the basin of water.   
  
He didn't reply to my suggestion but rather stared at me. Actually, he more or less squinted at me through his glazed eyes. I don't remember how long he was watching me for, but he suddenly said, "Those are my clothes."   
  
I blushed embarrassedly. "Gomen nasai, Li-san," I said. "I just wanted to change out of my dress, and I didn't have anything to wear. I hope you don't mind."  
  
He shook his head, and I began to get worried as his cheeks were turning more flushed than normal. "Daijoubu desu ka?" I asked, dabbing his face gently with the small towel.   
  
"I'm fine," he grumbled back. "You should get back home." His voice was cracked and dry, and I offered him a glass of water. He drank it gladly, a small drop making its way around his mouth and down to his chin.   
  
"I'm not going back home until you get better," I said, taking his empty glass and forcing him gently to settle back into the bed. "Or at least tonight."  
  
Li-san pulled his blanket up, covering half of his face and closing his eyes. "You know, people will talk," he said, his words muffled by the blanket.  
  
"Talk about what?" I asked.  
  
"Never mind," he replied quickly. "Let me sleep, then."  
  
I nodded and whispered a goodnight before shutting off his lights and closing the door. I sighed, feeling as if I accomplished a great deal that night. I shuffled over to the living room and stretched before plopping myself on the couch. I didn't realize until that moment that I was sleepy beyond belief. My eyelids immediately closed of their own accord, demanding that I get rest.  
  
I woke up this time not by someone rapping against the door, but rather by the rays of the sun blinding me through my lids. I couldn't decide which way of waking up was better, but before I could decide, I remembered that I was in Li-san's apartment. I shot up from the couch, and the first thing I noticed was a blanket wrapped around me.   
  
"You're awake."  
  
I turned around to see Li-san dressed loosely in sweatpants and a T-shirt, drying his soaked hair with a towel. He obviously had just finished taking a shower.   
  
"Hai…," I replied, rubbing the remainder of sleep from my eyes. "Did you…?" I asked, holding up the blanket for him to see.  
  
He turned away, turning furiously red as he did so. A grunt was the only reply I received for my question.  
  
"Ano…how are you feeling?" I asked.   
  
"I'm fine," he replied, turning back to me, still drying his hair. "I only needed the sleep."  
  
"That's good to hear!" I said with a large smile. "What a relief. I thought you were going to be sick for a while with your fever up so high."  
  
"I heal quickly," he grumbled.   
  
I smiled, realizing Li-san's stubbornness had returned to him. Without hesitation, I stood up and began folding the blanket into a perfect square.   
  
"Uhm…I don't really have any decent food for breakfast…," I heard Li-san say from the kitchen.   
  
I set the folded blanket back on the corner of the couch and strolled into the kitchen, tripping once over the large pants. "How about we eat out, Li-san?" I suggested with a smile.   
  
"Eat…out?" he repeated.  
  
"Hai," I confirmed with a nod. "Or would it be uncomfortable for you? Gomen nasai! I shouldn't have suggested that," I quickly said, covering up my mouth for being so straightforward.   
  
"No, no," Li-san said, interrupting me from my blabber. "It's fine. We'll eat out."  
  
"Are you sure?" I asked timidly.   
  
He just nodded and motioned for me to follow him. We went into his room, and he pulled out a box from the deep corner of his closet. He opened it, and I saw clothes that belonged to a woman.   
  
"When my sister came by for a while, she left some clothes here because they didn't fit in her suitcase when she went back to Hong Kong," Li-san explained. He pulled out a T-shirt, a thin sweater, and a pair of jeans. "They should fit," he said, flinging the clothes at me and shutting the box again.   
  
"You have a sister?" I asked.   
  
"Four, actually."  
  
"That must be so much fun, to have four sisters!" I exclaimed, imagining the prospect of me having that many siblings. I think Li-san flinched at my comment but said nothing of it.  
  
"Change and get washed up. Then we'll go out," he said, shutting the door to his room behind him.  
  
TBC  
  
T.Anjel: Sorry for the little Meiling bashing.. T_T There'll probably be more to come…so I'm apologizing in advance…  
But other than that!!! End of chapter five!!!  
  
C-Mage: Meiling bashing.... Yeah, there'll be more. Gomen to all of her fans. I like her too, okay? I even wrote a quasi-poem on her.... Oh, yes! Thanks to everyone who reviewed Hooded! We now have 201 reviews. ^.^~ I can't wait for the next chappy! ^.~ 


	6. Syaoran's Breakfast

C-Mage: Konnichiwa! You all make me so happy! ^.^~ And my sister Satsuki-chan actually decided to read it! Wai!~  
  
CM: Eight days of school left! Kakkoi! How many do you have, T.A.-chan?  
TA: ....  
CM: *sing-song voice* Tiny Anjel-chan....  
TA: ...Yeah? -_-  
CM: How many days of school do you have?  
TA: ....  
CM: Heehee. *whispers* She doesn't get out 'til June.  
TA: I HEARD THAT!  
CM: Er.... *sneaks away, giggling*  
  
T.Anjel: Yes…rub it in…I've got 23 school days left and counting. Reviews are just lovely. Make 'em funny and I'll give you a cookie! Thanks for reading and enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: You don't know who owns CCS? Really? Ever heard of CLAMP? ^.~ We don't own McDonald's either. ^__^;  
  
Summary: Syaoran's feeling better, and gets stuck eating breakfast with shy Miss Kinomoto. At McDonald's?!  
  
Learn to Love Me - Chapter 6 - Syaoran's Breakfast  
  
I stepped out of the car and closed the door, looking around at the place Kinomoto had chosen to eat out at: McDonald's. How cliché.  
  
"Lock your door from the inside," I called over to her when I heard her open the door.  
  
"Hai," she responded. I locked my door from the outside and walked over to where she was waiting, dressed in my sister's clothes, of all things. At least they weren't my clothes anymore. And, they fit her reasonably well.  
  
Kinomoto was wearing a light green sweater over the T-shirt and jeans. She'd managed to unknot her hair, despite my lack of a brush. All in all, she looked decent, until you looked at her feet. Turning my eyes there, I flinched. Kinomoto noticed.  
  
"Nani...?" She looked at her feet, then winced. While about the same size for clothing, my sister had larger feet, so Kinomoto was forced to wear her party shoes from the night before, which clashed horribly with the casual outfit she was wearing. "Well, no one will be looking at my feet. Shall we?"  
  
"One thing," I said, conscious of what language we had been speaking for the past night. "We'll speak English, please. I don't appreciate people looking at me oddly, so nothing of the sort shall happen here, understood?" As soon as Kinomoto nodded, I started walking to the door, leaving her in my wake.  
  
She giggled when I held the door open for her, as was only polite, and held the next open for me. Grumbling to myself, I went in and waited for her at the end of the line. It took a few minutes for us to reach the counter, and during that time neither of us spoke. For me, this was normal, but I could tell that Kinomoto was nervous.  
  
When we finally got to order, Kinomoto promptly asked for a chart of nutrition information and skimmed it, sliding her finger down the rows and columns. I decided to ignore her and turned to the employee. He looked to be about seventeen, but the bags under his eyes said he wasn't getting the sleep he needed. "I'd like a Steak, Egg, & Cheese Bagel." Done ordering, I turned back to Kinomoto, tapping my foot as a sign of impatience.  
  
Startled, she looked up from the chart. "Go-" She stopped, remembering to speak English just in time, and said, "Sorry.... I'd like an Egg McMuffin and a small orange juice, please." She smiled at the boy, who blushed, then rattled off the expense. I paid, and we took the slip with our order number and went to sit at a table to wait.  
  
Kinomoto shifted uncomfortably, but I made no move to entertain her. She had a mouth, didn't she? If she wanted conversation, she could use it. Finally, she caved.  
  
"Mr. Li, how do you know Japanese? I don't believe you've brought it up at all."  
  
"I'm Chinese," I stated. "Part of the Li clan, which has great influence in China. Part of growing up in the Li clan is intense training physically and mentally, and we have the best educators in China." I allowed a look of fierce pride to escape. "As well as being drilled in Chinese, I'm fluent in Japanese and English. You've already seen the results of the physical training."  
  
Her green eyes widened at the memory. "Hoe...." Even though the noise was a remainder of her Japanese history, it slipped out unbidden. "That's right! When do you think we'll be able to start the club?"  
  
"We've yet to meet with Mr. Hiiragizawa," I reminded her. "We should be able to start in less than a month, though. I have all the supplies we should need, for a while, and students can scrounge up their own practice clothes."  
  
She nodded and started when our number was called. "I'll get it," she said and slipped out from the booth. I watched as she picked up the tray, wondering what would happen if someone saw us here. Would they assume we were together? If so, would they report us to Hiiragizawa-san? Wasn't it illegal to date someone from the work place? I'd forgotten. But, we weren't dating. I was merely repaying her for her help.  
  
By the time she returned, I'd begun to look sullen, but she paid no attention and energetically split up the food. "There!" She dug into her food with a vengeance, and it took her a while to realize I hadn't touched mine. "Mr. Li," she ventured, "aren't you going to eat? You really should, after las-"  
  
"Shut up," I said, cutting her off. What if someone heard and misunderstood? I picked up my bagel and started to eat, not noticing the taste or anything about it. As I chewed and swallowed, Kinomoto inhaled her food, crumpled the wrapper into a ball, and sucked at the orange juice through the straw until it made empty sucking noises. Finally she stopped and set it down, waiting for me to finish eating. I could even hear her humming lightly under her breath. Was she always such a whirlwind of activity?  
  
Finally deciding the only way to get her to stop was to talk, I swallowed and asked, "Why did you ask for a nutrition chart?"  
  
Startled, her mouth made an O, then she smiled guiltily. "I wanted to check the carbohydrate count for the food," she answered, blushing. "It's not good to eat carbohydrates this early in the morning."  
  
I shook my head. "Why should you worry about what you eat?"  
  
Are eyes widened. "Why, so I don't get fat, of course."  
  
"You're in no danger of that," I stated matter-of-factly, eyeing her slender frame sharply. She ducked her head. Silence reigned for a few more minutes, until she spoke.  
  
"Mr. Li, what's your family like? I've always wanted a large family, but I only have my father and older brother." She tried a smile.  
  
"What happened to your mother?" I asked, curious in spite of myself.  
  
"Um.... She died when I was three," she answered, eyes growing sad. Suddenly, she was as happy as ever. "Never mind that! So, what's it like to have a large family?"  
  
"Awful," I answered. "My older sisters follow me everywhere and fawn all over me, and my mother only asks me to do what's bidden by the Elders." I frowned, remembering my desolate childhood.  
  
"What about your father? What was he like?"  
  
"I don't remember. He died when I was little." The reply came out sharply; despite the years, I still missed the father I'd never known.  
  
"I'm sorry.... I guess we both know what it's like to be without a parent, huh?" she asked, smiling weakly. I felt a smile tug at the corner of my lips, but I suppressed it. What if someone saw?  
  
We sat there for a few more minutes, neither moving to leave. Kinomoto seemed to be fighting with herself, albeit silently, sucking on her straw absent-mindedly. Tired of watching her fidget, I said, "Whatever it is you're muttering about, just say it, all right?"  
  
She flushed a deep red and set down her cup, then ventured, "Mr. Li.... Who's 'Meiling'?"  
  
I sighed. Why hadn't I thought this would come up? "She's my ex-fiancée, though I never wished her to be. Now she's chasing me from China to fall madly in love with her so she can marry me." I narrowed my eyes. "Why?"  
  
"Well.... I was just wondering who she was, that's all. It's curious that she would barge into your house and act so...." She trailed off there, unsure of herself.  
  
"Rude?" I finished. She nodded. "She's always been that way, sure of what she wants and adamant about getting it."  
  
"Um." She thought for a second or two before asking, "Do you ever miss China? I know that I miss Japan all the time, although it's getting easier, and I figured it must be similar for you. Plus, you don't seem to have many friends...." Her emerald eyes grew as she realized what she was saying. "Sorry...."  
  
"No, I don't miss China. And, no, I have few friends. I see no point in having tons of acquaintances." Apparently she disagreed, because she began to argue the point.  
  
"But, Mr. Li, don't you ever long for someone to talk to? Someone who understands you? To just talk about trivial things of no importance?" She looked curious, as if I were a specimen under observation in a laboratory, almost.  
  
"No. After four sisters, I find solitude -" I jerked my head up and around to gaze at the door, compelled suddenly to do so. The two figures who entered rang a distant bell in my memory, and I struggled to remember who they were.  
  
"Oh, look!" exclaimed Kinomoto happily. "It's Tony and Alex from second period!" She raised a hand as if to wave before I pinned it to the table.  
  
"Don't," I whispered harshly at her. She looked at me questioningly. "I don't want people getting ideas."  
  
"But.... We're not doing anything, are we?" she inquired, obviously puzzled by my sudden act of paranoia.  
  
"No, but if they think we are...." I glared at the students for interrupting my breakfast. Kinomoto giggled into her palm. "What?" I asked, disgruntled.  
  
"You," she said. "If my talking won't make them aware, your glaring certainly will. They can probably feel it burning into their backs...." I glared to her in return, but she only giggled more. I heard footsteps approaching, then stopping in front of the table.  
  
"Mr. Li?" asked a young male voice. "Miss...."  
  
"Kinomoto," supplied Kinomoto, smiling. "Good morning Tony, Alex."  
  
"Good morning," one mumbled. Tony, I thought. He was a shy one; Alex was the prankster. That much I remembered from the classes I'd taught them.  
  
"So, Miss Kinomoto, what are you and Mr. Li doing out here? I can't believe you'd want to spend time with such a...." I glared daggers at him, and he gulped. Kinomoto, typical to her sex, giggled.  
  
"We're eating breakfast," she answered, gesturing to the tray and ignoring the looks I was trying to send her. She looked at their tray and noticed the French fries. "Oh! Is it lunch time already?"  
  
"Yeah. They start serving lunch at 10:30." Tony was blushing, studying his sneakers.  
  
"We'd better go before our food gets cold," said Alex, grinning a little. He turned to leave, nudging Tony with his shoulder. They sat at a booth close to ours, but not too close.  
  
"How nice to see students outside of school," remarked Kinomoto, stretching. She tapped her fingers on the table, the paused. "Do you think I could get a refill on my drink?"  
  
I thought. "You could try," I said, not sure. "You might have to buy another drink, since it's lunch hours." She nodded and stood up, leaving momentarily. I set myself into pondering mode, idly looking at the opposite wall.  
  
Then I felt something hit my cheek. Looking down, I noticed a French fry laying on the table. Confused, I looked around for suspicious persons, but everyone looked occupied. I shrugged and resumed thinking. A slight thump on my head. Nothing fell, but I ran a hand through my messy hair, and, sure enough, out came a French fry. I was starting to get annoyed, at the least. I looked at those I could classify as suspects, but none looked guilty or amused. Another one hit my shoulder, and I was getting really annoyed. What sort of person played such a juvenile joke? I hadn't had anything thrown at me since I was in elementary school, and even then, it was only once. Determined to find the culprit, I tried looking again.  
  
One bounced on the wall behind me, which I assumed was meant for me, then another to the temple. I turned to stare at Tony and Alex, gaze icy. They were snickering despite themselves, cracking up at my ignorance. I was about to stand up and give them a piece of my mind, never mind that they weren't in school, when Kinomoto plunked two drinks on the tabletop.  
  
"There you go," she stated merrily, pushing one towards me. "I decided that the least I could do is get you a drink, since you bought me breakfast. You'll have to fill it yourself, though." I nodded my thanks and got up to fill up the cup. As I walked over, I felt a fry hit me square in the back of my head?, but when I turned around, my students were smiling, innocent as rays of sunshine. I swore under my breath and returned quickly.  
  
"Hey, Mr. Li, I've been wondering. Why did you decide to teach? And, if you don't mind my saying, why such a disliked subject as World History?" She smiled at me, and I decided she must be gaining confidence around me. I couldn't tell you if that was a good or bad thing, exactly.  
  
"I've always been interested in the past. We can learn a lot from past civilizations; from their mistakes and accuracies; what they had in common; how they met their demise. Some people say the present mirrors the past, or that at least we can learn from what's happened to those before us. I'd like to be well-informed about history, in case such a reflection happens." I was surprised that I'd been so eloquent; normally I was a terribly dry speaker, but I guess this was an exception. "I teach because I want to spread my love of learning and the knowledge I have to others. Not that I can say I'm having much success." I heard the bitterness in my own voice and resisted the urge to glance at Tony and Alex. I twitched as I felt another projectile on my shoulder.  
  
"Are you all right?" asked Kinomoto, plainly worried. "You're twitching...."  
  
"I'm fine," I replied stoically, burying my anger. What right had they to act so disrespectfully to an elder? If they had been part of the clan, they would have been whipped for such mischief. Eager to change the topic, I asked, "How'd you get into teaching?"  
  
"I've always liked being around children. I have an affinity for them, I guess." She smiled. "My first choice for student teaching was kindergarten or first grade, but high school was a close second." For some reason I felt disappointed that I'd been second, though I knew I shouldn't care what Kinomoto thought. "Watching them grow is fun and to help is a treasure." Plainly she was idealistic.  
  
"Why history?" The words popped out without my go-ahead. Strangely enough, I wanted to stay and talk, never mind the fry, which had just beaned my neck.  
  
"Like you, I find past cultures interesting. Why they did things and how they did them is a novelty. I'm very curious about such things." She blushed, then noticed something. "Mr. Li, you have a French fry on your shoulder...."  
  
I grunted and said, "Certain students of mine have been throwing them at me." Startled, she looked over to Tony and Alex and gave them a severe look. Tony looked down bashfully and muttered something to Alex, to got up and threw away his fries with a resigned look. She smiled, then turned back to me.  
  
"There. You should have said something to me sooner. Now you'll have salt all over you...." She stood up and started brushing me off before I caught her wrist.  
  
"Don't," I instructed, and she blew up her bangs, exasperated. I saw Tony and Alex watching with interest, along with several of the other customers. How many of them recognized me? Kinomoto sat down with a sigh.  
  
"I don't see why you have to be so...so...." She searched for a word. "Paranoid." I raised a brow. She looked down, but still said, "It's like you only care what others think of you. Imagine how many people saw you at the party on Saturday, being helped by me."  
  
Kuso, I thought. I'd forgotten about that! I mentally beat myself up, and Kinomoto's eyes widened as she saw that I cared about that, too.  
  
"Oh, Mr. Li! What do you care what other people think? Why not care what you think?"  
  
"Because," I responded coldly, "my job could hang in the balance. If someone misunderstands and reports us, I could be fired." She bit her lip, thinking. Suddenly she lit up, as if a light bulb flashed over her head.  
  
"But Eriol and Tomoyo are going out and will probably get married. Why don't they get in trouble?" She had a point there, but I didn't care to address it.  
  
"Enough," I said and got up to leave, heading for the door. She followed and threw away the trash, then stopped.  
  
"Oh!" she exclaimed, clapping hand to forehead. "I almost forgot!" She rushed back to Tony and Alex, talking urgently to them, and came back. I saw them smirking behind her, mocking me. She smiled in thanks. "I had to explain not to do the homework. You know, since it was the wrong assignment." My cheeks flushed. "They said they'd noticed it looked unfamiliar."  
  
"I had forgotten about that," I muttered, embarrassed. She laughed lightly.  
  
"Don't worry about it. What else are student teachers for?" She winked and pushed open the door, auburn hair shining in the morning light. "Uhm…could you take me home?" I nodded, and we set out for her house. I dropped her off without many more words, then went home.  
  
I unlocked the door to my apartment and saw two things simultaneously: the message light was blinking, and Kinomoto's pink dress was still lying draped over my couch. I decided that the message got top priority, and pressed the 'Play' button.  
  
"Syaoran, it's me!" rang out Meiling's shrill voice. I winced. "I've decided to forgive you for being around the student teacher" - she spat out the words like venom - "but just this once. Since you've been sick, would you like to come over tonight, say, six o'clock? I could make you something delicious to make you feel better. 'Bye!"  
  
I grimaced and deleted the message, remembering that I'd decided to give Meiling what she wanted. I made a mental note to call her later, then turned to the dress. It was a frilly pink thing, the color of cherry blossoms. I assumed Kinomoto had worn it in honor of her name sake, sakura. I picked it up. Delicate and light, it had matched her shoes to a tee, even if they matched little else. It had looked well enough on Kinomoto, if I remembered correctly and decided not to dwell on it too long in case of unnecessary thoughts.  
  
I flung it over my shoulder, trying not to wrinkle it too much. Having lived around the female sex my entire life, I knew how adverse they were to wrinkles in their garments. I locked my apartment again and marched back downstairs to my car. I unlocked it and placed the dress over the passenger seat, conscious of any wrinkles in the fabric. I got in the car and drove over to Kinomoto and Daidouji's house, pulling into the driveway and stopping.  
  
It seemed I had timed my visit perfectly. Kinomoto was just hurrying out of the house, dressed in different clothes and carrying a bag. She stopped when she recognized my car, then grinned. I got out and pulled out the dress, waiting for her to stop in front of me.  
  
"Li-san," she said, amused. "How pleasant to see you. I see you've brought back my dress." Her smile was rueful as she looked at the pink fabric.  
  
"Hai. And you have my sister's clothes." I nodded to the bag. We stood there for a few seconds, then she extended the bag to me, other hand open for the dress. We exchanged items, and she threw the dress over her shoulder.  
  
"Arigatou for being so prompt in bringing it back, Li-san," she said. "You can keep the bag." I looked at the bag, decorated with a sparse cherry blossom motif, and grunted. "Sayonara," she said, then turned back into the house.  
  
I drove back home, then plopped into my recliner. Meiling had said to come over around six, right? If I had to do this, then I might as well do it properly. I picked up the phone and stared at her number, then dialed.  
  
"Hello?" came her voice. I suppressed a wince, but barely.  
  
"Hello, Meiling?" I asked, cautious.  
  
"Oh, Syaoran!" She was plainly thrilled. "How good to hear your voice!" She stopped waiting. Might as well forge ahead, now that I'd mucked myself in.  
  
"Your message said to come over around six, right?"  
  
"Yes...?" Clearly questioning.  
  
Deep breath. "I'll be over then. See you." I quickly hung up the phone, cursing my sense of logic. Then I looked across to the couch and saw the bag. I picked it up and walked into my room, pulling the box of my sister's clothes out of the corner. She'd like the bag, I thought. I took the clothes out and placed them in the box, then folded the bag so that it was flat and set it on top. After putting the lid back on and shoving it into a corner, and I went back to the living room, to resume where I'd left off Friday: grading papers.  
  
TBC.  
  
C-Mage: Poor Syaoran, ne? How pathetic is it that they go to Mickey D's? .' I blame it all on Teeny-chan. Comments, questions, whatever - leave them at the little review box you get if you click the button below.... Ja ne!  
  
T.Anjel: Yeah…so…eh…leave a review~ leave a long one! A story!! Leave a joke! I like jokes! How about leaving us a little skit? Skits are nice! ::C-Mage drags a rambling T.A. off the screen:: 


	7. Sakura's First Prank

C-Mage: Oh, I'm SO sorry that it took so long! Over a month, can you imagine! .' T.A.-chan got it to me a week or so ago, but I've been so lazy.... *sigh* Anyway, thanks a bunch to all of you reviewers! You guys rock! And thanks to my siblings, who pelted me with prank ideas....  
  
T.Anjel: .Yes.And I would like to thank every reviewer who said we wrote down twice that Syaoran had four sisters. .  
  
Disclaimer: We don't own CCS. We're just borrowing the characters for our own weird purposes. Get over it. ^.^'  
  
Summary: [insert]  
  
Learn to Love Me - Chapter 7 - Sakura's First Prank  
  
"Ne, Sakura-chan!"  
  
I took my eyes off the dishes I was washing in the sink to face Tomoyo-san. She was sitting at the kitchen table, cutting fruit.  
  
"We should go out today," Tomoyo-san suggested, setting her knife down. "You know, just go out to the mall or something. Have a girl's night out!"  
  
I smiled genuinely at the idea. "Sounds good!" I glanced over at the clock and saw that it was exactly six. "Let me just finish washing the dishes, and I'll go change," I said, putting my attention back to the suds and dirty plates from lunch.  
  
"All right," Tomoyo-san agreed. The chair scraped against the floor as she stood up to leave. "I'm just going to take a quick shower."  
  
I nodded in acknowledgement as I tried to scrub a certain stain, which refused to remove itself from a white plate. I couldn't help but smile as I suddenly remembered washing dishes back at Li-san's apartment. My smile quickly transformed into a thin line as the memory was replaced with Li-san's empty cupboard. He must be lonely. I hated to do it, but I pushed the upsetting thought aside as I finished washing the last of the dishes. I dried my pruny fingers on a small towel and headed to my room.  
  
I picked out a simple outfit of jeans and a short sweater over a pink tank top. I examined myself quickly in my full-length mirror. I was never really a very pretty woman, but I was satisfied enough with myself and my looks as far as that was concerned. I nodded at my reflection and grabbed my purse before thundering down the stairs, nearly tripping over my own feet at the last step.  
  
"Don't be in such a rush, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo-san said with a soft laugh. She was waiting in the living room, reading a fashion magazine. Her hair was still wet from her shower, but dry enough as to where it didn't fling water every time she turned her head. "We have time. I was wondering if you wanted to go watch a movie? Matrix Reloaded sounds fun."  
  
"Is it scary?" I asked, biting my lower lip. My tolerance for ghosts and the haunted were very limited. Tomoyo-san only laughed at my question. I didn't think it was that funny.  
  
"From what I heard, it's not. Don't worry," she said. "It's supposed to be fun. Let's go." She took out her car keys and led the way out the door. I followed, making sure to turn off the lights and lock the door.  
  
~*~*~  
  
We arrived at a mall in twenty minutes flat. The movie theatre there was huge, and it was always fun to go there. Tomoyo-san bought the tickets, and I had the honor of buying the overpriced popcorn and Cokes. We entered the theatre and found the entire theatre was filled up. "Unbelievable!" Tomoyo-san said, amused by the situation. "I see two seats up in the front, Sakura-chan!" she told me, pointing the best she could with a large Coke in her hands to the very front row. There were two vacant seats in the corner. "It's the best we can get," she said with a simple shrug and headed straight for the seats.  
  
I followed her and sat down. Just as a plopped a popcorn in my mouth, I heard a very familiar voice.  
  
"Stop complaining, Syaoran!" it said, a high-pitched whine only one person would match. It was Meiling.  
  
She was obviously on some kind of a date with Li-san, and I didn't want to intrude, so I kept my face hidden at an odd sort of angle. It was difficult with the woman sitting right next to me, but it was doable.  
  
"Isn't that Li-san?" Tomoyo-san whispered into my ear, her eyes flickering over me and to the two seats beside me.  
  
I nodded and was unable to ignore the strange glimpse in Tomoyo-san's eyes. "Well, shouldn't we say hi?" she asked with a warm smile. "Li-san! What a surprise to see you at a movie theatre and out of your home!"  
  
I kept my eyes shut, strangely embarrassed by the sudden situation. I only heard a grumble that replied to Tomoyo-san's greeting.  
  
"Sakura-chan is with me too," Tomoyo-san said, nudging me lightly with her elbow.  
  
"Good evening, Li-san," I said weakly, turning my head to face Meiling and Li-san. I gave a small smile. "What a pleasure to see you again.today."  
  
"It's you!" Meiling hissed between two perfect rows of teeth.  
  
I was only able to smile again at her accusation.  
  
"Shut up, Meiling," Li-san mumbled. "Watch the movie. You're the one that dragged me here."  
  
"Syaoran!" Meiling said, whipping her head around to look at him.  
  
"Just.please.Meiling." Li-san sounded exhausted, and I couldn't help worrying.  
  
"Are you feeling okay, Li-san?" I asked automatically.  
  
"Of course he's okay!" Meiling growled, loud enough to be heard over the booming sound effects. "Stop bothering him!"  
  
I wasn't sure if I was supposed to feel offended by Meiling's accusation. "I wasn't trying to.."  
  
"Well you were!" she snarled. She reminded me of my old neighbor's dog. His name was Fang, and you could only guess why.  
  
"Meiling!" Li-san snapped, making sure to keep his voice low.  
  
I felt as if Li-san was yelling at me, and I instinctively sat back into my seat. I glanced over at Tomoyo-san on my right, and she seemed to be smiling. I reverted my attention back to the movie, but was unable to keep my focus on it. I felt strangely jittery, and I couldn't keep still in my seat. "Tomoyo-san," I whispered, leaning closer to my cousin. "I'm going to go to the bathroom."  
  
"Want me to go with you?" she offered.  
  
I shook my head. "I'm okay," I replied, and, keeping my head low, I got out of my seat and scuttled up the aisle. Exiting the theater, I let out a loud sigh. I was planning on enjoying the night with Tomoyo-chan, but Meiling's words constantly nagged in my ears, making me feel uncomfortable. I leaned against the wall of the empty hallway, needing a second to myself without noise or distractions.  
  
"What's wrong with me," I mumbled to myself, sliding down the wall until my butt touched the floor. I brought my knees up and rested my chin on them. After two minutes, the strange feeling in my chest didn't go away. It was beginning to bother me.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
I looked up to see a stranger peering cautiously down on me. I must've looked like I was distressed, with how I had placed myself on the floor. "I'm good, thanks," I replied, before burying my head in my arms again. I heard the stranger mumble something before shuffling off to wherever he was headed.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"I said I was.," I said, looking back up at the repeated question. "Li-san!" I exclaimed at the figure crouching in front of me. "Aren't you watching the movie?"  
  
"Meiling wanted to come. Movies these days aren't very interesting for me."  
  
"So you two are on a date?" I asked, finding the coupling to be cute.  
  
Li-san's cheeks were suddenly tinted a with a bright red before he stuttered out, "No."  
  
"Would you like to join me?" I asked with a weak smile, patting the floor next to where I was sitting. Li-san silently took the offered seat.  
  
"Daidouji-san told me to tell you she had to leave because of an emergency with Hiiragizawa-san," Li-san said. He looked as if he was about to continue, but he kept his mouth shut.  
  
"I see," I mumbled. "I suppose I'll get going, too, then. It was supposed to be a girls' night out with her, anyway." I honestly didn't like it when my mood was low, and I always tried hard to not to lash it out on others. I had no right to do that, but that night was just so emotionally draining.  
  
"You seem tired," Li-san said observantly.  
  
"No, not really," I replied with a weak smile. "I'm sorry, I'm just not in too great of a mood right now."  
  
Li-san smiled at that. I don't know why he did, but I realized that was the first time I saw him smile. "Meiling seems to have that effect on people," he said.  
  
"You should smile more often, Li-san," I said, my mood lifting up already. "It suits you."  
  
His cheeks flushed at the comment, and he turned his head away. I giggled at the childish gesture. Our small conversation was cut short when a loud thud demanded our attention. It was Meiling's sandaled foot that had made the noise, and she looked furious. I honestly had no idea why.  
  
"It looks like you two are getting along well," she scowled. "I think Syaoran and I will like to share some time together now, Miss Whatever-the-hell-your-name-is."  
  
I was taken aback at her outburst, but it was something I expected, as well. Especially after the encounter back at Li-san's home. In response to Meiling's words, I stood up and bowed very slightly. "I'm sorry for being such a bother today," I apologized. "I hope you two have a wonderful evening." I gave Meiling a small smile before heading out of the movie theatre. I didn't expect to have Meiling telling me to have a good night, but I wondered whether the surprised expression on her face was a good thing or a bad thing.  
  
Out on the street, I rode a bus home, thinking about Li-san throughout the whole trip, almost forgetting to get off at my stop. Now that I think about it, I don't remember what was keeping me so engrossed in the thoughts of Li-san, but for some reason it was. I only remember his face constantly dancing around my head, refusing to fade even for a second. Was it a bad thing? I had no clue.  
  
I arrived home and saw Tomoyo-san's car wasn't in the driveway or the garage. I unlocked the front door and went inside, suddenly feeling extremely tired and exhausted. I barely did anything that day, but I was drained, so I hustled into my room, changed into more comfortable clothes, brushed my teeth, and plopped into bed. I was immediately asleep.  
  
The rest of the weekend went by pretty quickly from going out with Tomoyo-san again and visiting an old college friend. Monday came in a snap and before I knew it, I was back in school. I was back to sitting in the back of Li-san's class, watching him teach and watching the children attempt not to fall asleep. I found it cute when students tried to sleep in a certain position as to where they thought Li-san wouldn't suspect them of sleeping. One boy I remember even slept with his eyes opened.  
  
Li-san's second period class included the two boys from McDonald's: Alex and Tony. When walking into the classroom, they laughed quietly amongst themselves, their eyes shooting to Li-san, then to me. It was rude of them, but it had to be forgiven, for they were only teenagers going through a long period of puberty.  
  
"Good morning, Ms. Kinomoto!" Alex greeted with a loud, sarcastic voice of jovial delight. He pronounced my name with a horrible American accent, but I smiled and responded back with my own, "Good morning, Alex. Good morning, Tony," I said, turning my attention over to Alex's shy friend.  
  
"Good morning," he mumbled, his face turning a shade pinker than what it usually was, and he turned away, taking his seat in front of me. Alex gave me a wide smile before plopping into the chair next to his friend's desk and prodding him jokingly, a wolfish grin plastered on his face.  
  
Leaving the two boys be, I shifted my attention over to Li-san, who was writing fervently on a piece of paper. The second the late bell rang, Li-san set down his pen and scanned the classroom, noting to himself who was absent and who was late.  
  
He repeated the same lesson from the previous class. The only difference with this class was that it had Tony and Alex in it. I have to say that even to this day, those two were the most mischievous and cunning boys I have ever met in that school. Tony may have been shy, but I always saw from the corner of my eye the ability he had to start up a riot. Of course, Alex would take the blame for everything, but he wouldn't have such fame without his trusty Tony beside him.  
  
This particular day was one of their best (or worst, depending on the view) pranks to date. They had apparantly done some research on their new teacher and come up with very pleasing information.  
  
No more than ten minutes into the lesson, Alex slowly pulled a clear box out from his bag. I continued to watch - Li-san left little to make notes on after the first period, as his lessons were virtually the same, aside from the few questions students deigned to ask. I could almost see what was in it, when Tony raised his hand to ask a question.  
  
"Mr. Li, how did the Egyptians build their pyramids?" he asked innocently.  
  
"Tony, we aren't covering Egyptians in this chapter. We're on Mesopotamia. Now, if you had asked this during the last chapter...." He trailed off, giving a pointed look.  
  
"Yes, but, sir, I'm interested now," he explained, as if to a very small child. Li-san looked annoyed.  
  
"No one actually knows how the Egyptians built the pyramids. There's great specu-"  
  
He was stopped as a girl screeched, pointing at something on her shoe: a hairy wolf spider. Suddenly, I knew what had been in Alex's cage. Berating myself mentally, I stood up. "There's nothing to be afraid of," I said, as half the class ran behind Li-san's desk, and the other half crowded around.  
  
"Get back," ordered Li-san, trying to push his way through the students. Finally he got through, but just in time for the small spider to launch itself onto his pant leg. "Ah! Get if off!" he cried, arms frantically trying to brush it off. The class burst out laughing at the comic image he made, but he seemed to truly be freaking out.  
  
You see, Tony and Alex had come across some very interesting information. Li Syaoran, stoic, stiff teacher that he was, was scared of - you guessed it - spiders. Oh, he was fine around the small house spiders, but give him a large, hairy one, and he'd lose it. Which, of course, he did.  
  
All of Li-san's antics, instead of throwing the spider off, only caused it to crawl up him, climbing over his belt and onto his shirt. It looked as if it was trying to go inside his shirt through the gaps between buttons. As soon as one hairy, exoskeletal leg touched his stomach, he gave a mighty shriek and batted it into the far corner.  
  
Consequently, this corner just happened to be near Li-san's desk, and one of his drawers, erm, happened, to be open. Obviously looking for a safe place to hide, the spider skittered up into the drawer, back into a corner. Steeling himself, Li-san approached the desk, peering nervously into the desk. He started taking off a shoe, no doubt to squash it with, when I stopped him.  
  
"Mr. Li," I said, hurrying over to the desk. He paused, one arm poised to smash, the other to yank open the drawer.  
  
"Yes, Ms. Kinomoto?" he asked, voice almost normal, if a bit shaky.  
  
"I don't really think it's such a good idea to -" I winced. "To kill the spider."  
  
"Why not?" he asked, eyebrows raised.  
  
"Well, think about it," I started to explain. "If you were the spider, just looking for a nice, dark place to hide, would you want to get flattened by a shoe?" I raised my auburn brows at him, and he sighed.  
  
"Fine. If you're so fine with it, deal with it yourself." Huffily, he walked away from the desk, pulling his chair along so he could sit in it to tie his shoe.  
  
Shrugging, I walked over to the desk and pulled open the drawer. The wolf spider was crouched down in the corner, looking ready to bolt. Slowly, I stuck my hand in and picked him up by the abdomen, then pulled him out and showed him to the class. "See? That wasn't so hard." I smiled at Li-san, who glared back. My face fell for a second. Had I undermined his power? Shaking it out of my head, I turned back to the class. "Now, Alex, I do believe this is your spider."  
  
"Actually...," he started, looking at Tony.  
  
"Tony?" I prompted.  
  
"Yeah...," said Tony weakly. He went to get the small cage and brought it back, top opened. I dropped the spider in and closed the top, then looked at the cage closely.  
  
"That's an awfully small cage for him," I noted, peering at the cage. "I do hope you keep him in a larger one most of the time." He flushed and nodded. "Good."  
  
Someone cleared their throat, and we all turned to look back at Li- san, who looked quite grumpy. "Would everyone please return to their seats." It was an order, not a question. "We might be able to salvage what's left of this hour...." A quick glance at the clock told me that there were five minutes left, and I winced. So much for teaching them something.  
  
Sitting back down, Li-san yanked out two referral sheets. "You'll get detention for that, I'm certain," he growled, looking about for a pen. "Where's my pen?"  
  
"Here, use mine," offered Alex insolently. Li-san glared daggers at him, but took the proffered pen anyway, then stomped back to his desk. He clicked the end of it, and, instead of the tip coming out as it should had, an enormous ink splotch appeared on Li-san and his referral slips.  
  
This seemed to be the last straw. Li-san's face turned a furious shade of crimson, and he managed, "Alex - Tony - OFFICE," while pointing his finger menacingly. Luckily, Alex and Tony picked up their bags and left without too much snickering and headed for the office, passing two people in the doorway.  
  
"Otou-san! 'Nii-chan!" I exclaimed, surprised at seeing them there. The class ogled at my Japanese, Li-san got even angrier, and Otou-san and 'Nii-chan smiled. "What -"  
  
"Ms. Kinomoto," began Li-san, practically seething, "if you would please usher your relatives to the teachers' lounge, I'd like to teach during what's left of my class." Just then, the bell rang, and the students began to file out. Li-san collapsed in exasperation, and I rushed to the door.  
  
"I'm so sorry!" I called to Li-san as I reached the door. Otou-san and 'Nii-chan were eyeing Li-san.  
  
"Is that the teacher you're shadowing?" asked 'Nii-chan, obviously noticing the ink on Li-san's shirt.  
  
"Hai, hai," I answered, pushing them out the door. I glanced back, noticed Li-san's angry gaze, and cringed. "Come on, we'd better go to the teachers' lounge. I've got the next two periods free...."  
  
I led the way down the hallways as the bell rang, not even noticing that I'd left my stuff back in the room. Finally I reached the teachers' lounge, which was blessfully empty. I doubted any of the other teachers would be comfortable with a Japanese conversation going on in the same room.  
  
I plopped down in a chair and motioned for them to do the same. "Why'd you come in during a class?" I asked, slightly annoyed. I didn't need things between me and Li-san to get any weirder. "Weren't you going to wait for me at the house?"  
  
"You didn't give us a key, smart one," 'Nii-san snorted, nodding over to the two suitcases they dragged into the school.  
  
"We asked for you in the office, and the principal came out and led us to your room," explained Otou-san. "It's lucky he speaks Japanese. Touya-kun may have studied English in school, but his grip isn't good enough for a full conversation."  
  
"The principal - Hiiragizawa Eriol - is Tomoyo-san's girlfriend," I explained. "But surely Eriol-kun would know not to get me during a class.... Li-san is a bit strict."  
  
"Wouldn't have guessed, by the ink stain on his shirt," muttered 'Nii- chan.  
  
"Oh, that." I sighed. "Some students had just played a prank when you came in - I think you passed them on your way out...." I glanced at the clock. Still a good hour or so before I had to be back in class. "Why don't I take you home? It'll be boring staying here all day, but at home you could at least watch a DVD, or something."  
  
"Hai," agreed Otou-san. 'Nii-chan nodded.  
  
"Good. We'll just have to go back to the room to get my bag...."  
  
When we reached Li-san's room, it was empty. Presumably Li-san had gone home to change his shirt. I grinned at that. How rowdy students in the United States were! I quickly rushed to the back to grab my backpack, threw it over my shoulder, and went back to Otou-san and 'Nii-chan.  
  
"I'll just lock the room real quick...," I murmured, digging around in my bag before I came up with a key. I locked the door and dropped it back into my bag. "Li-san should be fine - he has a key, as well.... Now." I turned to the two men, smiling. "To my home!"  
  
TBC.  
  
C-Mage: So, that's it. Lovely, ne? Again, I'm so sorry it took forever. The next ones might, too. I'm leaving for vacation on June 22, and I'll be gone for seven weeks. Very little Internet/computer access, too. -.-' I'll try to get something done before I go, though....  
  
T.Anjel: I don't think that was really the best of best chapters, ne? The next will be better.hopefully. Bah~ thanks for reading! Ciao. 


	8. Syaoran Learns to Hit a Girl

C-Mage: This might be the last chapter you'll get for a while. I'm going on vacation for seven weeks on the 22nd.... This chapter was written under influence of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which I got today. Eeeeee!  
  
T.Anjel: No comment.  
  
Disclaimer: We don't own CCS. You don't own CCS. Who does? CLAMP and a bunch of companies....  
  
Summary: Syaoran and Sakura have a talk and another sparring match. First self-defense club lesson! ^.^  
  
Learn to Love Me - Chapter 8 - Syaoran Learns to Hit a Girl  
  
Damn those idiots, I thought to myself.  
  
I was driving back to school after changing my shirt. The one I had been wearing was unsalvageable, thanks to the ink my students had decided to prank me with.  
  
What is it with American students? I asked myself. The students in Hong Kong had certainly never done any such thing, and they would have been severely punished if they had.  
  
Then I remembered. I'd forgotten to write the referrals. I groaned. Well, I would just have to do that when I got back. If I could find any slips without ink on them. I growled low in my throat. I hated being upstaged by students. I hated being made fun of. And I hated spiders with a passion. Okay, so maybe I was more scared, but still. My students had made me look like a total idiot. I'd probably loose their respect for weeks....  
  
Finally I reached the school and headed off to my classroom. Absentmindedly, I turned the doorknob. It wouldn't go. I jerked it back and forth, but it wouldn't budge. Sighing, I slumped against the wall. Kinomoto must have locked it and left, and, just my luck, I'd left my key to the classroom in - you guessed it - the classroom.  
  
Kuso.  
  
My pride too strong to allow me to go wimpering to the janitor, I settled in for a wait, sitting down on the floor. Thankfully, class was still in session. The students already had enough to laugh about - I wasn't keen to give them more.  
  
I was idly checking my watch, seeing that it was ten minutes until the period was over, when I heard footsteps approaching. Finally. It really had taken her long enough....  
  
I stood up, trying to look as in control as is possible when your pants are covered in dust. Tapping my foot impatiently, I finally saw Kinomoto round the corner, backpack thrown haphazardly over one shoulder. She gasped when she saw me, then jogged over.  
  
"Mr. Li!" she cried, looking shocked. "I'm so sorry! I thought you'd have your key with you!"  
  
"Obviously, I didn't," I said coolly, ticked off at myself for being so stupid. "Now, could you please open the door?"  
  
"Oh!" she exclaimed, smacking herself on the forehead lightly. "Right." She pulled out a key, unlocked the door, and walked in, flicking on the lights.  
  
"Thank you," I murmured coldly, and she blushed.  
  
We settled down at our respective ends of the classroom, and I started digging through drawers for more referral slips. I slammed the last one shut, not having found anything, and Kinomoto giggled.  
  
"What?" I asked, more annoyed than I had been. I'd forgotten that Kinomoto had seen the prank as well. She must think I'm some sort of ninny, I thought.  
  
"You just seem so..." - I glared at her - "grumpy," she finished.  
  
"Of course I'm grumpy," I muttered, standing up and heading for the door.  
  
"Where are you going?" she asked looking surprised.  
  
"To the office, if you must know," I replied. "All of my referral slips are covered in ink. And, please, don't lock the door again." I turned before seeing her turn scarlet and headed down the hall.  
  
The bell rang as I was in the hall, and soon I was flooded by students. I started to wedge my way through, trying not to notice the looks and muffled snickers around me. My class must have spread the word of the prank. Lovely.  
  
Finally I managed to read the office, just as another bell rang. Luckily, I had this period off, too. After I'd gotten my new set of referral slips, I was just heading out of the office when I heard a voice behind me.  
  
"Punishing a lot of students, Li-kun?"  
  
I turned around. "Iie," I replied. "My students, er, destroyed the ones I had."  
  
Hiiragizawa-san smiled. "Aa. Li-kun, I have news about the self- defense club." I nodded. "As you requested, the school's mats will be available to you, and we managed to scrounge up some blocks and padding. You may start Friday."  
  
"Good. Arigatou, Hiiragizawa-san." I left and went back to my room, relieved to see that the door was unlocked. I noticed Kinomoto, reading a book, and figured I should tell her the news. I cleared my throat.  
  
"Yes?" she asked, looking up.  
  
"Mr. Hiiragizawa said that we can start the self-defense on Friday. Be sure to be at the school at four, in the gym. Be on time, please."  
  
"Okay." She thought for a moment, obviously wrestling with herself internally.  
  
"Spit it out," I said, and she blushed again.  
  
"Mr. Li, if we're to be in charge of the self-defense club, you're going to have to hit me."  
  
I was puzzled. "Excuse me? Hit you?"  
  
She sighed. "Yes. When we had to practice bought, all you did was block. You didn't attack me a single time, which I find disrespectful. You should respect that I've had training and can defend myself."  
  
I frowned. "I was taught never to hit a woman," I stated. Did she want me to go against all of my training?  
  
"Well, you'll have to, or else this club will never work." She, too, frowned. "Unless you plan on having me demonstrate everything, while you hold the padding."  
  
"We could do that."  
  
She threw up her hands and made a small shriek of exasperation. "I don't want to do that, do you get it? I want to be an equal to you! Not a 'woman,' not a member of the 'weaker' sex! Can you treat me as an equal at all?" She looked at me, her patient temper obviously began to flare.  
  
"I do," I said abruptly.  
  
"Where?" she asked, incredulous.  
  
"In the classroom."  
  
She thought for a moment more, then said, "You'll always treat me as an equal in the classroom, right? Because I'm an educator?" I nodded, feeling uneasy. Her usual wide, innocent eyes held firm with my own. She didn't seem to have the need to blink either. "Well, then think of the self-defense club as a classroom. You should treat me as an equal whenever we're teaching the club. You said as much yourself."  
  
I opened my mouth to tell her off, then stopped. Shimatta. Trapped by my own words, I thought. "Fine," I said haltingly. "But only during the club. Not during practice or anything. Only when we're teaching. We won't even be doing sparring to start with, anyway."  
  
She smiled, her fiery temper gone in a snap. "Thanks, Mr. Li. Four o'clock, Friday, gym?" I nodded. "I won't be late." She turned back to her book, smile lingering.  
  
I walked back to my desk, trying hard not to stop. I'd been roped into fighting against the opposite sex, something I'd been trained not to do since childhood. I'd just have to forget about it....  
  
I looked at my hand, surprised to see the referral slips, then remembering that I needed to write referrals. I sat down and started to write them out, noticing that my desk had been cleaned up. Where there should have been ink and ruined papers, there was my desk as it should be - neat and tidy, albeit missing some papers.  
  
"Ms. Kinomoto," I called, looking over at her.  
  
"Yes?" she asked, slightly puzzled.  
  
"Thanks for cleaning my desk," I grumbled quietly, finding surprise at how easily the words came out.  
  
She grinned. "You're welcome. I figured I wouldn't want my desk to be messy, so I thought you definitely wouldn't want it like that."  
  
Pushing down a smile, I finished my referrals and placed them in a pile at the corner of my desk.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The rest of the week veritably flew by. I contended with jokes and teasing in almost every class, but second hour was by far the worst, because they had been witness to what had happened. Soon enough, it was Friday, and I was heading to the gym after class for the club.  
  
It was amazing how quickly had word gotten around. I'd told my classes about it, of course, and printed out a few flyers, but the students buzzed with talk of learning how to beat up their little brothers and sisters. When they weren't laughing, at me, of course.  
  
I changed into loose clothes. I'd need freedom of movement for this. Then I started to pull out mats, laying them on the floor and velcroing them together. I was wrestling with one particularly annoying mat when Kinomoto showed up.  
  
"Let me help," she said, picking up one end and carrying it to the others, then positioning it. "There. How many are left?"  
  
"That was the last one," I said.  
  
"All right. When do the students show up?" She didn't stop smiling.  
  
"The flyers say 4:15, but some will probably be late."  
  
"Undoubtedly." She smirked. "Never count on students to be on time."  
  
We sat down to wait after piling the blocks and padding in a corner, and slowly the students trickled in, in groups of by themselves. They headed to the locker rooms to change, then came back out, all wearing loose clothing - some even wore their P.E. uniforms.  
  
After the last student had straggled in, I stood up, as did Kinomoto. The students stopped talking and turned to look at us, faces expectant. I cleared my throat.  
  
"Hello," I said. "This is the newly started self-defense club, as you all should know." A few people chuckled. "Ms. Kinomoto and I will lead this club. We will show you the basics of self-defense, and maybe even how to spar, if you do well enough."  
  
Kinomoto slid in, as if we'd rehearsed the speech. "We'll start with stretches, of course." She smiled. "Never try any physical exertion without stretching first. You could pull a muscle, which, while painful, might not be enough to get out of class." There was some laughter. Kinomoto definitely got along better with the students than I did. "So, we stretch."  
  
We led everyone through various stretches, stretching as much of the body as we could. There were winces during some stretches, especially the harder ones, like touching your toes while sitting down. They did reasonably well, for not stretching every day.  
  
"I know you all may be imagining learning how to beat up your rampant siblings or the school bully, but you won't be," I said. "Self-defense is precisely that - the defense of yourself. We'll start with basic punches and kicks."  
  
Some students groaned.  
  
Kinomoto laughed. "Punching and kicking may be boring, especially if you repeat them endlessly, but eventually they'll become like second nature to you, and you won't have to think about using them - you just will. Now, let's start with a front kick...."  
  
For the next hour we led the students through kicks and punches, first demonstrating on each other, then having the class practice all together. We walked around as they practiced, correcting stances and aim. Near the end, we called them up in two's to practice on us, using the padding and blocks to keep from getting hurt. Finally, the last two had finished.  
  
"Good job, everyone," I said, taking off my blocks and tossing them aside. "You all did very well for your first time. You can practice at home - it'll help." I paused, then decided to go on through with my idea. Kinomoto shouldn't mind too much. She was the one who wanted me to hit her, after. "I know you'd all like to see what you'll be able to do after a while, so Kinomoto and I will have a demonstration spar."  
  
Kinomoto looked at me, shocked, but the faces of the students in the club were priceless. They looked as if they had won the lottery. But I don't think Kinomoto'd realized that I'd meant what I'd said in my room, or that I'd act upon it so quickly. I motioned to the mats, and she walked over, taking up a stance opposite me, ready to block, forcing me to go on the offensive.  
  
I was much more prepared for this match than for the previous two. I'd gotten a glimpse of her fighting style, and I definitely wasn't underestimating her. I suddenly shifted my weight and lauched myself at her, fist aimed for her side. My mind registered the surprise on her face, but she blocked flawlessly, as I'd expected.  
  
We fought back and forth for a while, sending punches and kicks at each other that were blocked easily. Kinomoto increased her speed - maybe she was getting bored. I increased mine to compensate. Eventually my mind was completely focused on Kinomoto, looking for a sign of a future move. This was the hardest bought I'd been in since I'd been training in China against Wei-san.  
  
Vaguely I heard gasps and cheers from our audience, and a small part of my mind wondered if they were surprised at how well we could fight. The rest of my mind said to focus on what I was doing - on how my arms were moving through the air, on any single opening in Kinomoto's defense.  
  
Abruptly, I noticed an opening and went for it with all of my leftover energy. I blocked two punches and aimed my fist for her face, stopping less than an inch from her nose. I knew I'd won, and my body relaxed. For the first time I noticed that I was sweating and panting for breath. I found the short fight to be satisfying, but both Kinomoto and I knew that we both held back. We were just having a demonstration after all.  
  
Kinomoto grinned. "Nice one, Li-san," she murmured in Japanese. Picking up a towel to wipe her flushed face, she turned back to the students. "So, how was it?" she gasped.  
  
They went wild. "Awesome!" a few cried. "You were great, Ms. Kinomoto!" yelled others. "Mr. Li, you were so cool!" even a few called.  
  
I blushed. I wasn't used to praise, especially after being criticized as potentially the most boring teacher in the school. "Thanks," I muttered.  
  
"Thanks, you guys!" exclaimed Kinomoto, ecstatic, for all that her hair was plastered to her neck and face and she looked exhausted. "The next meeting will be next week, at the same time. 'Bye!" She waved as the students left to change, then turned to me.  
  
"Li-san!" she said in amazement. "You hit me!"  
  
I allowed a small smile. "Of course I did. I said I would, didn't I?" She nodded. "I don't go back on my word."  
  
"Arigatou! That was much more exciting than our last match!"  
  
"I was ready this time," I explained. "I'd fought against you before, so I was better prepared."  
  
She nodded vehemently. "Me, too! You were very good at attacking, as well. I can see how you're a master of kenjutsu and jujutsu at such a young age. You've got a perfect sense of timing."  
  
I blushed. "Arigatou." I busied myself with the mats as students filed out, talked animatedly about the match.  
  
"How did you get into fighting, anyway?" Kinomoto asked, taking the other side of the mats. Did she know how nosy she was being? But her voice was soft and wasn't demanding information out of me, so I answered her:  
  
"It's part of my family's heritage. My family's clan is famed for its martial artists, so every member gets intensive training, beginning as soon as they can walk. I've been drilled in all sorts of Chinese fighting styles since before I can remember."  
  
"Wow," she breathed, obviously impressed. "No wonder you're so good."  
  
"You're very good, too," I said, trying to be fair. "You said you've gone years without practicing, but it's as if you just practiced yesterday."  
  
She gave a small laugh. "It's as I said earlier - if you practice enough, you'll just remember it subconsciously. I'm sure you know what I mean." I nodded.  
  
Soon the last mat was away, the blocks and padding stashed in a closet. I gathered my stuff, preparing to leave and lock the gym up for the weekend. Kinomoto grabbed her school bag and headed to the door, pushing it open to let in a little breeze.  
  
"Sayonara, Li-san," she said, holding the door open for me as she exited. "I'll be sure to call you if I notice any problems with the homework." She winked, and I felt my cheeks burn.  
  
"I'm sure you will, Kinomoto-san. Sayonara." She went to her car, and I closed and locked the gym door, thinking back to the match. It really hadn't been that bad, hitting a girl.  
  
TBC.  
  
C-Mage: There it is. I'm sorry if it's a bit short - I honestly couldn't think of more to write. We'll be starting on the romance during the next chapter (finally!), so look forward to that. I hope it's better than the last chapter....  
  
T.Anjel: .Yes.look forward to the next chapter. I am! Review.or die! Just kidding. 


	9. Sakura's New Friend

T.Anjel: Ah!~ Finally got chapter nine out!~~ I don't think it's all that bad either! And I think there was a review or something about onii-chan. The "o" is added in front of the word to add more politeness, if I'm not mistaken. So Onii- and 'Nii- are the same. Onee-san means older sister. And...yeah~  
  
C-Mage: I'm so, SO sorry! *protrates self before readers* I was away for seven weeks, then I just kept procrastinating! .' Finally, I got an e-mail from Elisa Ang telling me to update, so here I am! ^.^' This chapter is dedicated to Shy-chan from me, for advertising LTLM on her fic (My Sakura under the ID DaShyGurl), and to Elisa Ang, for jolting me into action. I'd forgotten you guys actually hate waiting.... -.-'  
  
Disclaimers: Standard Disclaimers apply.  
  
Summary: Sakura makes a new special friend, and I don't think Syaoran seems all too happy about it.  
  
Learn to Love Me – Chapter 9 – Sakura's New "Friend"  
  
The feeling of hot water running down my back after an hour of sweating and teaching was absolute bliss. I ran my fingers through the locks of my wet hair, letting water through to my scalp. I turned off the shower with a contented sigh and quickly dried myself off with a pink towel my brother gave me three years ago. I wrapped myself with the towel and wrapped a smaller one around my damp hair. I was about to brush my teeth when I heard grumbling and muttering on the other side of the door.   
  
I opened the door to find Onii-chan spatting into the phone while leaning against the wall of the hall. "What the hell do you want, gaki?" I heard the muffled voice on the other line growling back in the same fashion. "Well, she isn't here! Get off…."  
  
"Who is it, 'Nii-chan?" I inquired timidly, finding the smoke emitting from my brother's ears to be slightly intimidating. I strained to see if I could recognize the voice on the other line, who seemed to be yelling and barking out a muffled stream of vulgar words. "Li-san?" I asked slowly, finding the voice to be similar to his.  
  
'Nii-chan grumbled something incoherent under his breath and handed the phone to me. I hesitantly put the phone to my ear. "…Just give the damn phone to her! I called to speak to her and not to your fu…"  
  
"Li-san?" I said, interrupting his small tantrum before he got too far.  
  
"Kinomoto?" he asked in reply. I winced as I heard something crash, and Li-san cursing on the other side. "Sumimasen," he grumbled.  
  
"Hai…," I said, staring questioningly at my brother, who stood five feet away from me, arms crossed, and glaring at the phone as if it were threatening him. I gave him a weak smile before slipping back into the bathroom and shutting the door behind me.   
  
"I just wanted to inform you of when I expect you to have a lesson plan ready," Li-san said robotically, as if he were reading it off a script.  
  
"A lesson plan?"  
  
He seemed to have expected that question, because he immediately answered without a second to lose, "I plan on finishing this chapter and giving a test on it next week on Friday. On the following Monday, I want you to be prepared on teaching the next chapter, understood?"  
  
"Hai!"  
  
"I have the usual worksheets that I hand out every year. Just remind me to give them to you," Li-san said.   
  
I nodded, but remembering I was on the phone, I repeated another, "Hai!"   
  
"And…uhm…that's it."  
  
"Arigatou, Li-san! Oyasumi nasai," I said.  
  
"Oyasumi," he grumbled before turning off the phone.   
  
I clicked the off button on the phone and exited the bathroom, finding 'Nii-chan to be in the same stiff position as he was in before.  
  
"Relax, 'Nii-chan! He just wanted to tell me about some lesson plan I have to prepare," I informed him. He looked at me skeptically before going back downstairs without another word. I grinned and headed to my room, quickly dressing in comfortable clothes for dinner.   
  
The weekend went by quickly as Tomoyo-san and I toured Otou-san and 'Nii-chan around the neighborhood and a couple of small sights. They were only going to stay for three weeks, so I made it my goal to make it as memorable as I could. While at the same time, I had to think about the future lesson plan.   
  
By Sunday night, I was pooped. My energy was drained and the second I was down on my bed, I was asleep.   
  
I woke up the next morning with help from a totally raucous alarm clock 'Nii-chan gave me as a gift when he arrived in America. I turned it off with a groan and trudged off to go about my daily morning routine.   
  
"Ohayo!" Tomoyo-san called from the kitchen, seeing my slouched form drag itself across the halls to the bathroom.  
  
"Ohayo," I called back, my voice cracking as I did.   
  
"Your dad and brother are both still sleeping," Tomoyo-san informed me. "We have to leave in fifteen minutes, or we'll be late for school."  
  
I nodded, my brain informing the rest of my body parts to move in a more quickened pace. After eleven point three minutes, I was down in the kitchen, fully dressed and ready to head on out to school. Tomoyo-san handed me a pink thermos. "No time," she said quickly, heading out of the house before me.   
  
I scuttled out after her, locking the door behind me. I sat myself in the passenger's seat as I always did, and we rode listening to the news.   
  
"I start the art club today," Tomoyo-san said, lowering the volume of the radio. "I'll probably end later than usual today. Do you want to take the car? I'll get a ride from Eriol."  
  
"Okay," I agreed, as she parked in the faculty parking lot. We exited the vehicle, and, after locking it securely, she handed me the keys. We entered the building together and parted at Tomoyo-san's art room. I headed straight for the history room and found Li-san sitting at his desk, hunched over a book. He looked up when I came in.  
  
"Oh. Ms. Kinomoto," he said. "Can you do me a favor?"   
  
"Of course!" I immediately responded, setting my books down at the usual desk in the corner. I saw Li-san rummage through a drawer and come out with a piece of paper.  
  
"This is a worksheet I was going to hand out to everyone, but I seemed to have run short on copies. Can you make me fifty more copies?" he asked, handing me the sheet.  
  
I nodded. "Anything else?" I asked.  
  
"No. That's it," he replied, and went back into working on the book or whatever he was doing. I was curious as to what he was hunched over, but I decided to keep my mouth closed as he seemed to be abnormally grumpier than usual.  
  
I took the sheet of paper to where I remembered seeing the copier room. I recalled to the best of my ability the exact location of the room. After five minutes of quick roaming, I found a small room with two copying machines, only one of them in use. I smiled at myself proudly and walked over to the copying machine that wasn't being used.  
  
The small amount of pride that welled up in my chest a second ago was gone.   
  
How do these things work? I wondered, peering at the numbers and buttons in front of the contraption. I looked up at the yellowing wall and saw a small laminated sheet of paper pinned to it with instructions on how to use the copying machine. It looked simple enough.   
  
I carefully set the worksheet facedown in the machine, making sure it was between the right set of marked lines. I put down the cover slowly so as not to move the piece of paper from its perfected spot. Next, I thought, peering over at the instructions. Punch in the number of copies I want in the number pad. I pressed the '5' and then the '0'. And start.   
  
"Hoe?" I squeaked in surprise. I looked at the small screen besides the number pad that blinked some red signal. "No paper?" I read on the bottom of the screen. "Oh, no," I mumbled to myself. "Where am I supposed to get more paper?" I looked at the machine and its sides, but found no instructions on how to put in more paper. "Oh, no," I mumbled again. I turned around to see the man who was working on the other copying machine was still there. "Ehm…. Excuse me?" I asked, slightly peering around so I was seen from the corner of his eye.   
  
He turned around and raised his eyebrows in response. I froze for a moment, forgetting my train of thought as I stared at the man in front of me. He was undoubtedly the most gorgeous man I have ever met in America. Excluding those stars seen on television, of course. His hair was a mix of brown and dirty blonde, and his eyes were green tinted with a sprinkle of blue. I found them to be the most amazing part of his perfectly chiseled face and tall, lean body.   
  
I usually didn't gawk at anyone for being so good-looking, but his smile and composure amazed me to my inner being.   
  
"Oh! Sorry," I said, realizing that I was staring. "It was just that, uhm, I was wondering if you knew how to put more paper in the machine."  
  
"Of course," he replied. He let his copying machine run as it spat out paper after paper of the same worksheet. I curiously peered at the papers being printed and saw that they consisted of large letters of the alphabet and guidelines on how to write each letter.   
  
I stole my attention away from the worksheet and watched the man as he gracefully retrieved paper from a pile next to the machine and opened a tray that camouflaged with the machine. He put about a hundred papers in the machine and tapped lightly to signal that he was done.  
  
"That's it," he said. His voice was even sultry and sent small shivers down my spine.  
  
I blushed and turned my head slightly away so he didn't see. "Thank you," I said, heading to the machine and clumsily hitting the start button.   
  
"You're a teacher here?" he asked me, leaving the copying machine to continue his work.   
  
"I'm just a student teacher," I replied, giving him a small smile. "And you?"   
  
"I work at the elementary school nearby," he said. "The copying machine there broke down, so I came over here a little early to get it done. I'm a kindergarten teacher."  
  
"A kindergarten teacher! Do you like kids?" I inquired, finding the man's occupation to be quite interesting.  
  
"I love them," he answered. "They can be a pain, but they're adorable."  
  
I laughed.   
  
"Ms. Kinomoto!"   
  
I turned to the door to find an elderly man there, carrying three large textbooks and a large bag slung over his shoulder.   
  
"Mr. Kane!" I replied, taking the load off of his old arms.   
  
"I'm in a bit of a rush," the history chairperson told me. "Mr. Li requested these extra textbooks and these extra materials. I do hope you don't mind giving them to him for me?" He set down the bag next to my machine. "Thank you, Ms. Kinomoto."  
  
I smiled and nodded. "No problem."  
  
He walked out quickly, letting his elderly legs carry him to wherever he needed to go.   
  
"So, Ms. Kinomoto?"  
  
I turned around as a reflex action to hearing my name. "Yes?"  
  
"And what's your first name?"  
  
"Sakura," I replied.  
  
"Sakura," he repeated, and I found it amazing he said my name without a trace of an American accent.   
  
I nodded. "And may I ask for yours?"  
  
"David Kaplan," he replied. "It's not a beautiful sounding name like yours, but that's what people call me."  
  
I blushed, but managed a smile. "Thank you, Mr. Kaplan."  
  
"Please, call me David. Mr. Kaplan makes me sound old," he said with a chuckle. "And may I call you Sakura?"  
  
I nodded. I looked over at my copying machine which ceased spitting out copies of the worksheet needed for class. "It was nice meeting you, David," I said, swinging the heavy bag over my shoulder and taking the three textbooks and fifty-one sheets of paper in my arms. I was exiting the room when I felt a hand gently take hold of one of my shoulders. I felt too weighed down to turn around. It was going to take too much effort.  
  
"Let me help you with that," I heard David say behind me.   
  
"It's okay!" I quickly said, trudging down the hall, my feet dragging from under the weight. I gasped when I felt the weight lift from my shoulder.   
  
"Let me help you with that," David repeated, coming around in front of me, and holding the strap of the bag. I let him take the bag, but I held firmly to the textbooks. He followed next to me towards the classroom, making small talk.  
  
I still felt a little jittery by him, feeling intimidated by the way he perfectly composed himself without effort. I only laughed lightly or smiled whenever he said something humorous, or I clicked my tongue whenever else was appropriate.  
  
We turned in at Li-san's classroom. He was in the same stiff position as he was in twenty-five minutes ago: hunched over his desk. He looked up when we walked in, eyeing David for an extra long time before saying, "Did Mr. Kane send this?"  
  
I nodded, setting the textbooks down and taking the bag from David's shoulder. "Thank you," I said.   
  
"Anytime," he replied. He looked over at Li-san. "Mr. Li, what a surprise."  
  
Li-san just glared back, questioning him.  
  
"It's been awhile," David said with what seemed to be a smirk. "You're lucky to have such a great student teacher working in the same classroom."  
  
I blushed.   
  
"Don't you have babies to get back to, Mr. Kaplan?" Li-san said, surprisingly sounding very smooth in his insult.  
  
"And that I do," David replied. Even with my fighter reflexes, I didn't see David swoop down and give me a small peck on the cheek. "I'll see you later," he said and left, leaving me blushing to the roots of my hair while Li-san just glared.  
  
"You two seem awfully close," Li-san said, rummaging through the bag.   
  
"I didn't expect him to. . .," I said, gently touching where the man's soft lips were a minute ago. "Do you know him?" I asked, changing the subject quickly.  
  
"When we were young," Li-san replied, now flipping through the new textbooks. "He and I usually saw each other in fighting tournaments and such. He hated me because I always beat him in the final match."  
  
"Eh?! You were that good?" I asked.   
  
He didn't answer my question, but changed the subject again. "Hiiragizawa called me yesterday. He wants of Daidouji-san and us to plan the holiday dance that comes every year mid-December."  
  
"That sounds like fun!" I exclaimed, already picturing a high school dance in my head.  
  
"It's big to the kids, so we have to organize a committee and everything. But we have time, so it's no rush," Li-san said.   
  
I nodded and took my seat as I heard the bell ring. The day went by as it usually did, Alex and Tony causing their small bits of mischief, Li-san teaching in his usual strict way (he seemed a lot stricter today for some reason), and lunch in the faculty room with the usual teachers and lunches.  
  
By the end of the school day, I remember receiving a couple of compliments of awe from the sparring fight Li-san and I displayed. I thanked them while Li-san just brushed them off with a straight face. I smiled at his stiffness, finding more humor in it than fear. I made sure to bid him farewell before heading towards the parking lot.   
  
The second I walked out of the high school building, I felt my hand being held by someone. I turned and saw David, smiling. I found myself blushing, but managed to stutter, "Hi."  
  
"Hey," he said. "Elementary school ends earlier, so I decided to come by and see what you were up to."  
  
"Just going home and grading homework," I said, remembering the responsibility Li-san decided to finally give me.   
  
"Sounds boring," David said with a laugh, following me to Tomoyo-san's car.  
  
"Not really," I said.   
  
"Look, I was wondering if you were doing anything Friday night?"  
  
"I don't think so," I said.  
  
"Great, you want to go out for dinner then?" he asked, sounding hopeful in his request.  
  
"You mean, on a date?" I asked, hoping he would clarify his inquiry.  
  
"Yeah," he replied.  
  
I felt a slight hesitation tug in my chest, and for some strange reason I was starting to think of Li-san. I pushed his image aside, and I mustered up a smile. "Sounds great."   
  
"Can you give me your address? I'll pick you up at seven," David said, smiling like a little boy.  
  
I took out a slip of paper from my bag and scribbled down the address.  
  
"I'll see you then," he said, pocketing the piece of paper and planting another kiss on my opposite cheek. He jogged out of sight towards the other parking lot.   
  
I got into the car. The only other boyfriend I ever had was a cute guy back in high school. And our relationship only lasted for two weeks. I started up the engine, and I suddenly felt like the grandness of David was gone. He was now just an ordinary man, teaching. How strange it was. Strange indeed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
T.Anjel: I liked this chapter. The end of it anyway. Thanks for reading!  
  
C-Mage: Wow. Another short chapter, huh? Well, at least we're starting to get into the romance! I've just realized how long this thing is going to be. @.@' Thanks for sticking with it this far, and I hope you'll stick with it to the end! R&R, please! 


	10. Syaoran's Surprise Date

C-Mage: Whee!~ So, after slacking for two weeks after being back, I finish chapter ten. Go me! I hope you all like this chapter! We're slowly but steadily getting somewhere, you know. o.O Sorry if it's kind of short.  
  
T.Anjel: o.O~  
  
Disclaimers: We don't own CCS. We don't own CLAMP. I don't even know the new manga Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, much as I'd like to. T-T  
  
Summary: Syaoran goes on a date with Meiling that's more of a surprise than intended....  
  
Learn to Love Me - Chapter 10 - Syaoran's Surprise Date  
  
I opened the door to my apartment and slipped out of my shoes, dropping my duffel bag. The session hadn't been too bad today. Some of the students were overeager and wanted to get to the interesting stuff now, but they'd learn eventually or leave.  
  
Kinomoto had an aptitude for teaching. She'd do well on Monday.  
  
I smiled. The thought of not actively having to teach a class that wasn't exactly interested was inviting. I needed a break. Even if I didn't verbally admit it, it was lurking around the back corners of my brain. I still needed to evaluate Kinomoto and help her, though. So much for my break  
  
I started towards the bathroom and the promise of a shower when something crunched under my foot. I looked down an envelope. Frowning, I leaned down to pick it up. Tenants normally got their mail in little locked mailboxes, not under their doors. Turning it over, I groaned. 'Li Xiao Lang' was written in Chinese characters on a scented pink envelope. Yuck.  
  
Sighing, I moved to my recliner. Might as well read it now and get it over with. I tore open the envelope (I've never been good at opening the infernal things) and pulled out a matching piece of stationery. Lovely White, eh? My eyes flicked to the bottom, and the corners of my mouth twitched up. The Korean makers of it had misspelled 'always'. Alwasys. A small snort escaped me.  
  
Leaving my amusement, I turned my eyes to the letter. It was written in Chinese. I guess Meiling had it easier in her native tongue.  
  
Dearest Xiao Lang,  
  
Oh, how I have missed you these past two weeks! I cannot wait to see you again. My heart aches for you every moment of every day! I have arranged dinner for us at a nice Italian restaurant. Be sure to dress sharply! I'll be over at six-thirty. Wo ai ni.  
  
Mei Ling  
  
A flick of my wrist and a glance at my watch told me the time. Five- thirty. Now, where was that shower I'd been looking forward to....  
  
Six o'clock saw me in sleek black pants and a silky red shirt. Red was Meiling's favorite color, after all. Red for luck, and to match her eyes. If I had to court her, I could at least act the part of a caring boyfriend.  
  
I winced at the thought.  
  
I settled down to grade tests to while away the time until six- thirty. Multiple choice answers definitely made them easier to grade, but essay questions showed the level of comprehension. Luckily, the textbook I was teaching from had a nice mix of both, along with true or false. It just meant that it took some time to grade.  
  
A few tests and twenty-five minutes later, a knock sounded on the door. "Syaoran," a shrill voice called. "It's me!"  
  
I put aside the tests and opened the door, wary of a glomping. Thankfully, though, Meiling seemed mindful of her skin tight Chinese style dress and settled for a kiss. I dodged in time for it to miss and hit my cheek.  
  
"Syaoran, why won't you kiss me?" she pouted, walking over to sit on my couch with a plop. Immediately she ruffled through the tests and looked at the answer book. "This is what you're teaching? That's so boring! I don't see why you don't return to China and teach for the clan.  
  
"Because the clan's too controlling, that's why," I grumbled to myself. Raising my voice, I said, "Did you come here to gripe, or are we going?"  
  
"Going," she stated, standing up and walking to the door. She'd forgotten to take off her shoes, and the heels clipped smartly on the floor.  
  
"Okay, then." I shrugged into a black coat, slipped on some nice shoes I'd dug out from my closet, and grabbed my keys.  
  
Once we'd reached the car, I opened her door like a gentleman should. You could practically feel her urge to squeal childishly, but she managed to repress it. I got in my side and started the ignition.  
  
"Where to?" I asked as we hit the road towards downtown, obviously needing directions.  
  
"Oh!" she started. She named a relatively expense Italian restaurant I knew of. "My friend's the manager, so we can get a discount price." I winced. As a gentleman, I should pay. At least it was cheaper than it would have been otherwise. "Our reservation's at 7:30."  
  
"Then why'd you go to my place to early?" I asked, irritated. I did not want to sit around for half an hour before I could eat.  
  
She shuffled and blushed. "Well, I thought that maybe we could, um, you know...."  
  
Disgusted, I turned to stare at her, then reverted to the safety of my mask. "Let's wait on that, okay?"  
  
She grinned. "So long as you're all mine, Syaoran."  
  
We arrived at the restaurant a full half-hour early, just as I'd predicted. We sat in the car, Meiling chattering on about her friend who owned the restaurant. I stared resolutely at my watch until it was almost time for our reservation, when I got out, interrupting Meiling mid- sentence. The frown on her face from my ignorance was replaced by a grin when I offered my arm - gentlemanly.  
  
"Reservation under Li," Meiling told the host. He scanned a list as the door opened behind us.  
  
"We just made it!" exclaimed a familiar voice. "I'm so sorry for taking so long! I forgot what time it was...."  
  
Another familiar, less pleasant, voice answered. "No need to apologize, Sakura." Hearing the foreign name, I turned around to see none other than Kinomoto and Kaplan standing behind us. His green eyes lit on me and he grinned. "Mr. Li, are you dining here, too?" he asked.  
  
Kinomoto's eyes flew to me. "Oh, Mr. Li! What a surprise!"  
  
Meiling cleared her throat and I turned around. She and the host were looking at my expectantly.  
  
"Do you want to be seated together?" the host asked, picking up that we knew each other. I opened my mouth to protest, but Kaplan got there first, a grin spreading over his handsome features.  
  
"Could you? That'd be great! I know it's a hassle and all...."  
  
"No, no trouble at all! What is your party's name?" he asked, hand poised over the book.  
  
"Kaplan." I could have sworn that the little bastard smirked at me.  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Kaplan." He pulled out two more menus. "Right this way, sirs, madams."  
  
As we wound through various tables, I appraised Kinomoto and Kaplan. Kinomoto was wearing a pale green dress that set off her eyes, her long hair in an elegant bun, no doubt styled by Daidouji. Kaplan was wearing khakis and a navy shirt, the top few buttons left undone, no doubt to make him look sexy. I snorted.  
  
"Something wrong, Mr. Li?" asked Kinomoto, emerald eyes apprehensive.  
  
"Nothing," I hurried reassured. Meiling huffed and grabbed onto my arm; I sighed.  
  
"A waiter will be with you shortly," informed the host as we sat down. "Until then, feel free to look at over your menus. Enjoy your evening." We murmured our thanks, and then he left.  
  
All it took was a second for Meiling to jump on Kinomoto.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she hissed over the table, eyes narrowed.  
  
Kinomoto smiled nervously. "Um...well, I'm on a date with David. Isn't it a strange coincidence that we're here at the same time?" She tried a little laugh.  
  
"Some coincidence," Meiling grumbled. "In any case, Syaoran's mine, so don't even think about taking him." She grabbed my arm possessively again as Kinomoto turned pink.  
  
"Don't worry about things like that," slipped in Kaplan, amused. "She has me here. She doesn't need Mr. Li." His comment served in disgruntling me, flustering Kinomoto, and soothing Meiling.  
  
We sat in uncomfortable silence until our waiter came. "May I take your orders, please?" he asked monotonously. We ordered, then settled back to wait again. At least we had water and breadsticks now.  
  
Meiling was making her way through her third breadstick when Kinomoto decided to start conversation.  
  
"So, Mr. Li, I heard that you and David used to spar. Is that right?"  
  
I grunted. David said, "Yes, in college. He always was a tough fight. I really had to work to beat him."  
  
"As I remember," I growled, "you never beat me. Either I won or it was a draw."  
  
"No, no, you must be remembering wrong. I know I won most of the time."  
  
Meiling jumped in to defend my honor. "Syaoran's a great fighter. I'm sure he beat you easily! We're the two best fighters the clan has!" She swelled with pride.  
  
"You can fight, too?" asked Kinomoto, interested despite the nasty vibes Meiling was emitting.  
  
Meiling frowned. "Of course I can. I'm part of the Li clan, after all. Everyone's taught martial arts at an early age. Syaoran was always the best." She leaned over to kiss me, and I moved away. She frowned. "Xiao Lang...," she murmured in Chinese.  
  
"Cheek only," I responded in the same tongue.  
  
"Fine," she stated and kissed my cheek. Kinomoto and Kaplan were looking at us oddly.  
  
"So, your girlfriend can't even kiss you, huh?" asked Kaplan.  
  
"Urusei," I said, and Kinomoto gasped. I glared at her. Kaplan, of course, had no clue what I'd just said. I almost smiled at his ignorance.  
  
"Mr. Li, you can speak Chinese, too?" asked Kinomoto, curious.  
  
Meiling scoffed. "He's Chinese, after all. Do you expect them to speak English over there?" Kinomoto turned a furious red.  
  
She opened her mouth to apologize, but I interrupted. "I was taught English as part of the clan's training, and Japanese as a special interest." I smiled, and she smiled back.  
  
"What's this clan you two talk about?"  
  
"We both come from a spread out family with a long history. My last name is Li, my family's name is Li. We're from the Li clan. Part of being in such a clan is that you're taught certain things as you grow up. Our particular clan's training includes learning English and extensive martial arts."  
  
"Oh. That explains how you got so good!" Kinomoto exclaimed, clapping her hands together.  
  
Kaplan spoke up. "So...you're related?" He eyed the two of us.  
  
"We're cousins."  
  
"And fiancés!" cried Meiling, splashing water as she set down her glass. Kinomoto looked at me, a question in her eyes, and I shook my head. She shrugged neutrally.  
  
The food was brought and we spent a few minutes eating, Meiling demanding that she cut up my lasagne so I wouldn't burn my tongue. Kaplan eventually asked the question he was bound to ask.  
  
"Let me get this straight. You're cousins, but you're engaged?" He looked incredulous.  
  
"Yes," said Meiling, primly cutting her noodles.  
  
"Won't your children be deformed or something?" he asked, the gleam in his eyes a sign of taunting.  
  
Meiling took great offense. "Of course not! Our children will be little angels, won't they Syaoran?" I winced. "Syaoran's perfect, so why would they be anything but?"  
  
Kinomoto scolded lightly, "David, that's not very nice."  
  
"Sorry," he said and leaned to quickly peck her cheek. "I'll try not to do it again."  
  
She blushed, but Meiling found it something to nitpick on. "You aren't kissing your girlfriend, either," she noted, touchy from the earlier barb.  
  
Kaplan grinned and pulled Kinomoto to him, bringing her lips to his. Inside, I fumed with jealousy as the kiss drew on. Kinomoto wasn't supposed to kiss that prick. She was supposed to kiss m -  
  
My train of thought stopped abruptly. What? I didn't like Kinomoto, did I? As I watched Kaplan try to deepen it, I surged with jealous hatred again. How long was she going to let him do that to her? Finally, she pulled away, slightly disheveled.  
  
"David, not now," she murmured quietly. Another flash of hatred. She wanted to continue it, did she? I could feel my eyes harden. Not over my dead body....  
  
Meiling tugged on my arm, puckering her lips. Part of me wanted to kiss her, just to make Kinomoto feel jealous, but the rational part smacked the other. Baka! She probably doesn't even like you! You've been scaring her away all year....  
  
I leaned over and lightly kissed Meiling's cheek. She pouted, but I wouldn't do any more willingly, and she knew it. Short of immobilizing me, there was nothing she could do to make me kiss her. She sighed, then spotted the neatly cut food on my plate. Her eyes lit up, and she reached out to spear some with her fork.  
  
"Say 'ah'...." She moved it towards me threateningly. Obediently, I opened my mouth. I was going to eat it anyway, right? She practically shoved it in, choking me. I gasped and reached forward for my water, drinking desperately. Kinomoto rushed over to kneel by me.  
  
"Daijoubu?" she asked, reverting to Japanese in her panic and hovering, arm on my shoulder.  
  
I smiled. "Hai."  
  
"Yokata...." She smiled, and I noticed how close her face was to mine. What I wouldn't give to lean over and kiss those inviting lips....  
  
She must have noticed, too, because suddenly she sat back down, blushing the shade of a ripe tomato. "Gomen nasai," she murmured, staring at her food.  
  
Kaplan smiled. "Why don't we show 'em how it's done, Sakura." He scooped up a meatball from her plate with his fork and moved it towards her slightly open mouth. Just before it reached, it fell from it's precarious position into Kinomoto's lap.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Kaplan exclaimed, leaning in towards her skirt with napkins, ready to clean up the mess before it got too bad. I got there first and was rubbing at the spot when Kaplan coughed. I froze, then jolted back as Kinomoto started laughing. Guiltily I handed her my napkin, giving in to Meiling restraining arms and scooted backwards. I mumbled a barely audible "sorry".  
  
"That's okay!" Kinomoto smiled brightly. "Just, next time hand me a napkin, please." If she was pink, I was definitely fuchsia.  
  
Somehow we reached dessert without further incident and little conversation. I managed to eat with one arm held captive by Meiling, and Kinomoto kept blushing whenever she looked at me. Kaplan was looking aggravated, which I considered a good thing. However, he also looked rather bored - never a good sign.  
  
Just as I was digging into my chocolate silk pie (I've always had a weakness for chocolate), Kaplan said, "I heard that you were teaching a club for self-defense."  
  
Kinomoto looked relieved at something to talk about that seemed safe. "Yes. Mr. Li and I are teaching it together every Friday after school. The kids are doing pretty well." She gave me a teasing look. "I even got Mr. Li to hit me."  
  
Meiling's mouth dropped. "What?! You actually got him to fight you? But you're a girl! He won't even spar with me, and I'm the best female the clan has!"  
  
"Only in a teaching capacity, I assure you," I mumbled. Nevertheless, Meiling still looked put out.  
  
"It was pretty hard, as you can imagine," Kinomoto explained, rolling her eyes at Kaplan. "Finally I had to point out that it was for teaching, so it was even." She winked. "He still thinks that it's dishonorable to hit a girl."  
  
"I wish I could have seen that," Kaplan murmured appreciatively. "Are you good?" he asked Kinomoto.  
  
"Well, I haven't actively trained in years, but you could say I'm pretty decent in the art."  
  
Kaplan thought about something for a second before speaking. "You know, I actually wouldn't mind helping you teach." Kinomoto's eyes lit up, and he grinned. "I'd enjoy sparring with Mr. Li again, and I'm not afraid of hitting a girl." He raised his eyebrows at Kinomoto suggestively, who blushed. I could feel myself glaring daggers at him, but he took no notice. "Of course, that's if it's okay with Mr. Li," he stated, remembering me suddenly.  
  
"I don't mind, but I didn't know elementary school teachers were able to assist in high school clubs," I growled out, keeping myself from killing him on the spot.  
  
"It's actually no problem with the board of education," Kaplan replied with a smirk.  
  
"Great!" exclaimed Kinomoto, unawares that I was irritated. "Can you meet us in the high school gym on Friday? Right after classes get out?"  
  
Kaplan smiled indulgently. "Anything for you." Yet another blush crossed Kinomoto's features.  
  
"That's it!" cried Meiling, standing up. "I came here for a nice date with Syaoran, not to watch the two of you flirt endlessly!" She grabbed her purse and hurried from the building.  
  
"Shit," I said, raising my hand at a passing waiter. "Check, please." He nodded and hurried off to get it. "I'm sorry to leave so abruptly, but I need to catch up to Meiling." I pulled out my checkbook as the waiter brought the check. "Thanks." I wrote a check quickly, not even noticing that I was paying for Kaplan and Kinomoto's meals as well. Leaving a large tip, I left.  
  
"See you Monday!" called Kinomoto, waving. I threw a small wave over my shoulder in response before grabbing my coat and Meiling's and exiting.  
  
Meiling was over by my car, yanking at the door handle hoplelessly, pretty make-up smeared from tears. "Syaoran, can't I go on one nice date with you, without it being messed up by that stupid girl?" she sobbed out when she heard me approach. My softer side took over as I draped her coat over her shoulders.  
  
"I'm sorry, Meiling. It's not like I wanted them to show up or anything." I smiled slightly at her, reassuringly. "I'll promise you one date without her, okay? I promise." Grasping bitch or no, she was my cousin, and I did care for her, deep down. Way deep down.  
  
Sniffling, she snuggled into my shirt. "Thanks, Syaoran. You're always so nice." She cried for a few more minutes before something clicked in her head. Abruptly she pulled away from me and opened her mouth to yell. "And what exactly were you doing fawning over that woman the entire time, anyway?! You're dating me, so you might as well act like it! You haven't even kissed me, yet you get jealous over her! You've some nerve, you know?!"  
  
I sighed. Meiling was Meiling, after all. I opened her door. "Get in, Meiling. We can continue this at home, and you'll catch a cold out here." Sulkily she entered, griping all the way back to my apartment and even once we reached it. Finally I had to mention the tests I was grading and how long it took before she left with a comment about my unwavering dedication to my work.  
  
I tried to grade the tests, I really did. However, my traitor mind kept wandering to a certain auburn-haired woman. How could I be so stupid as to like her, when she so obviously loathed my guts? Not to mention the fact that she was my student. Wasn't that illegal or something? Sighing, I leaned back to meditate to clear my mind, eventually falling into a restless sleep.  
  
~~~~  
  
C-Mage: Erm, yeah. It's short again. -.-' I'm sorry. I couldn't squeeze much more out of it. Thanks for reading! I love you guys! *huggles readers*  
  
T.Anjel: I think.it's getting interesting. 


	11. Sakura's Tutor

C-Mage: *kowtows* Yeah, I figured out a new way to bow. ^.^' Anyway, I'm really, REALLY sorry that this didn't get out sooner. School is making me pretty busy, and when I'm not busy, I feel like zoning out. -.-' I hope we never do this again - seriously. Please forgive me!  
  
T.Anjel: Same as C-Mage.  
  
Disclaimers: We only own David and a few students, and I'm not too sure if we want to own David.... o.O  
  
Summary: David meets Touya, and Sakura plans a lesson.  
  
Learn to Love Me - Chapter 11 - Sakura's Tutor  
  
"Dinner was great," I said shyly as David parked the car in front of the house. He leaned over to kiss me, but I turned my head away so he got my cheek. "Sorry," I said with a grim smile. "My brother's watching."  
  
David nodded as if he understood, but still looked disappointed.  
  
"Thanks," I said quickly, before unbuckling my seatbelt and leaving the car.  
  
"Sakura!"  
  
I groaned inwardly at the voice of my brother and looked timidly up at his looming figure positioned in the doorway. Even from far away, I was able to see his disapproving glare. I knew without words he wanted to see David.  
  
I bent by the passenger's window and grimaced while saying, "Sorry, David, but do you think you can come inside for a minute?"  
  
"Sure," David said without a moment of thought and turned the engine off. He locked his door and followed me up to the front porch.  
  
"Come inside," 'Nii-chan growled as we approached him. I closed the door behind us and followed 'Nii-chan through the foyer and to the living room where he sat stiffly on a couch. He motioned for me to sit next to him, and David to sit on the couch opposite him.  
  
David did as he was told.  
  
"'Nii-chan," I moaned, but was cut off by his sharp look.  
  
"Your name," he demanded.  
  
"David Kaplan, sir," David responded diligently.  
  
"Occupation."  
  
"I'm a kindergarten teacher."  
  
"What makes you think you can date my sister?"  
  
"She's a wonderful and beautiful woman." I blushed. "I just hope she finds me to be a suitable match for her."  
  
I knew 'Nii-san didn't like David from the moment he answered his first question. I groaned. There was no hope for David now.  
  
"Touya, what are you doing?"  
  
I turned around to see 'Tou-san at the entrance of the living room with a wet towel on his head.  
  
"This kid's dating Sakura," Touya answered blandly, still glaring at David disapprovingly.  
  
"Well, nice to meet you! I'm Sakura's father," 'Tou-san greeted, smiling and shaking hands with David. David seemed to relax. "How long have you two been dating?"  
  
"A day," I replied, wanting my voice to be heard.  
  
"And you didn't tell me?" Tomoyo-san asked, joining the small circle of people.  
  
"I was going to," I argued weakly.  
  
"I don't like you," 'Nii-chan said. "You're not fit for my sister, and let me tell you, I'm a great judge of character. Leave the house."  
  
"'Nii-chan!" I gasped. I never remembered him being so rude.  
  
"Touya!"  
  
Tomoyo-san didn't say anything. She looked more amused than shocked.  
  
David stood up and gave a small bow before quietly leaving the living room.  
  
"David!" I called out and went to chase him, but 'Nii-chan pulled me back. "'Nii-chan!" I complained, furious at his behavior.  
  
I heard the door shut before it was too late.  
  
"Why did you say that?" I asked, trying to suppress my anger.  
  
"I don't like him," 'Nii-chan replied. I couldn't say anything for a second as I saw that the dark look in his eyes still hadn't left.  
  
"Why?" I stuttered out, my cheeks flushed and my fists clenched by my sides.  
  
"He had a horrible personality, Sakura. I know his type. It's wrong for me to judge like this, but I find him to be an extreme exception. I'm sorry, Imouto," he apologized. "Date him if you want, but I won't let him ruin you or let it get anything beyond a kiss. Even that idea disgusts me." He left his seat without a word, heading to his room.  
  
Tears welled in my eyes. I always had respect for my brother, and he was always there for me. Sure, a little overprotective, but it was all for me. I sniffled. Having his approval always made me feel proud, and his disapproval with David weighed heavily on my heart.  
  
"Oh, Sakura," 'Tou-san said, bringing me to his chest and patting my head. "He's just stressed. Don't worry. He looks like a fine boy."  
  
I cried silently into my father's shirt, finding comfort in the familiarity of his scent and embrace.  
  
"Now wash up and get a good night's rest. It's a Saturday tomorrow. Oversleep," 'Tou-san said, cupping my face in his hands and kissing my forehead reassuringly.  
  
I smiled in thanks. I bid 'Tou-san and Tomoyo-san a good night and did as I was told. I sunk into bed thinking over the day's events. I vaguely remembered David's handsome face, but found Li-san's seemed to float over my head with every detailed feature. I recalled how stubbornly he acted during dinner. I stifled a giggle at the thought. He always did the weirdest and cutest things.  
  
I snuggled deeper into the bed, pulling the thin covers to my chin. I slept soundly and even had a couple of good dreams of Li-san. I would have pondered at them, but I didn't remember a second of the dreams once I woke up.  
  
It was late in the morning when I awoke on Sunday, and the first thought in my mind was that I had to prepare a lesson for Monday. I gasped in panic. I barely had anything prepared. What was I going to do? How should I prepare the lesson? What would interest the kids? Thousands of questions plagued my mind as I fumbled through my bag and desk looking for notes and books.  
  
I wouldn't normally have been so nervous, but the prospect of seeing myself in the front of a rowdy class staring curiously at me and judging me for every move I made shook my nerves. Also, Li-san would be in a seat, watching me and criticizing me in his head.  
  
"I'm going to make such a fool out of myself," I moaned.  
  
Someone knocked on my door.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
It was Tomoyo-san with a tray of hot breakfast. "I was wondering if you were hungry."  
  
"Oh! I totally forgot about breakfast!" I said. "Thank you!"  
  
"What are you working on?" Tomoyo-san asked, peering over my cluttered desk. "Preparing a lesson?"  
  
I nodded while chewing my toast and choking it down. "I don't know how to do this, Tomoyo-san! It doesn't seem hard, but I just can't sink down the feeling that the lesson won't go as planned."  
  
"Calm down, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo-san said, laughing her melodic laugh as if my nervousness was something humorous. "If you're really that nervous, wash up and call Li-san for help. He isn't really a very busy person."  
  
"I'd be a bother!" I complained.  
  
"Suit yourself." Tomoyo-san left my room, leaving me my breakfast and a feeling of dread.  
  
As much as I didn't want to do it, I ended up taking Tomoyo-san's advice.  
  
"Hello?" Li-san answered the phone.  
  
"Hello, Li-san?" I squeaked.  
  
"Ms. Kinomoto?" he asked to clarify my identity.  
  
"Yes," I answered. "I hope you're not busy right now."  
  
"Not at all."  
  
"Do you mind helping me out with my lesson plan?" I asked. "I'm so sorry, but I'm getting all nervous, and I just don't know what to do." I must have continued to aimlessly blabber on, because Li-san cut me off with a seemingly exasperated sigh.  
  
"I wouldn't mind helping you at all," he said.  
  
"Are you sure?" I asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"So can I come by your place in thirty minutes or so?" I asked, still feeling a little bit of doubt in asking Li-san for help.  
  
"That's no problem," Li-san replied. "I'll see you then." And he hung up the phone.  
  
It took me a second to register the quick conversation and his abrupt ending to it. I hung up the phone and quickly packed my notes and books.  
  
"I'm taking the car, Tomoyo-san," I said, peeping my head through her door.  
  
"Going to Li-san's?" she asked without turning around from her desk.  
  
"Un," I answered. "I'll be back as early as I can."  
  
"Ja," she said, waving her hand and resuming her work.  
  
I took the car keys from a rack in the foyer and headed out towards Li-san's apartment. It took a while to find his apartment, but I found it nonetheless. I was twenty minutes late.  
  
I was in front of his door, and I knocked timidly. It opened fairly quickly, as if he was waiting by the door for me.  
  
"I'm sorry I'm late," I stuttered, coming into his neat apartment. "I just got a little lost."  
  
He nodded and motioned for me to sit at the kitchen table. I took out my small bit of notes and books. I was totally disarranged.  
  
He quickly scanned my materials, then shoved all my books aside. He handed me a piece of paper and a pencil.  
  
I looked at him in a confused manner.  
  
"Books aren't going to teach you how to teach," he said. "You know what you're supposed to teach tomorrow?"  
  
I nodded. "About the first colonies of America," I replied dutifully.  
  
"I really don't get what you're nervous about, Ms. Kinomoto," Li-san said to me. "You know the information; all you have to do it tell it to the kids."  
  
"That's the thing! How do I tell them? I don't want to sound boring and like I'm lecturing them. And then again, I don't want to play around and act as if I was teaching a bunch of little children," I said.  
  
"Every teacher teaches differently, and you're just going to have to find out your own style in teaching these kids," Li-san said, staring at me sincerely.  
  
I relaxed after his words, but fidgeted slightly under his gaze.  
  
"I think you'll do fine tomorrow, but if you really feel as if you need something to depend on, just jot down what you're teaching and however you plan on doing it," Li-san said simply. He stood up, scraping his chair back as he did so. "That's all I can say to you, but if you find that another method suits you better, go ahead and do so. I'll be here if you have any questions."  
  
I nodded and stared at the blank piece of paper. I knew that I knew the information that needed to be taught inside and out. I just didn't know exactly how to satisfy the kid's need for education and fun mixed in one. I heard Li-san shuffle quietly around the house, doing whatever he did on a Sunday.  
  
I took my mind off of Li-san and concentrated on my work. I did as he told me to do and wrote down very general facts. I thought intensely on how to go about doing one thing or another. After who knows how long, I began to doze off. Before I knew it, my head was buried in my arms and I was fast asleep.  
  
I woke up, but felt my eyelids were too heavy to open. It took me a second to realize where I fell asleep. Then it took me another second to realize that I wasn't leaning on a table. On the contrary, I felt myself moving. Was I being carried? The sudden image of Li-san carrying me in his arms startled me. My eyes shot open, and I tried to jump out of his arms.  
  
I was unsuccessful.  
  
I had a blanket on top of me and tripped on it as I tried to struggle out of Li-san's loose grip. In less than a second, I thought I found myself on a soft floor. Rather, I found myself on top of Li-san. I was blushing to the roots of my hair, realizing how I had just humiliated myself in front of him.  
  
"Ah," I tried to stutter.  
  
"You can just get off me," Li-san said. He seemed pink in the cheeks, but maybe that was just an effect the impact of the fall made. I nodded hurriedly and tried to stand up, only to slip on the blanket again and fall back down. This time, Li-san caught me. He managed to sit up by the time I tripped the second time, and I found myself sitting on his lap, cradled awkwardly in his arms.  
  
"I'm so sorry!" I yelped, blushing to an even deeper shade of red and stumbling off his lap.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked, looking slightly away.  
  
"Hai," I replied, feeling my heart beating twice as fast as it should normally from the shock of the fall.  
  
"Are you done with your work?" he asked.  
  
"Oh!" I remembered the reason as to why I was the teacher's house in the first place. I hustled over to the kitchen table and winced at all the scribbling and crossing out I did on the piece of paper. I generally didn't get anything done, except cross out everything I wrote.  
  
"You'll do fine tomorrow," Li-san said, the blanket folded neatly in his arms as he came from the hallway.  
  
"Are you kidding me?" I exclaimed, crumpling the piece of paper into a little ball. Li-san didn't reply, but decided instead to stare strangely at my face. "Is something wrong?" I asked.  
  
"You have smudge marks on your face," Li-san said, as if trying to let out a small chuckle.  
  
I instinctively tried covering my whole face with my hands in embarrassment. Li-san chuckled at my clumsy act and set the blanket down on the table.  
  
"Let me get that," he said softly, taking my hands away from my face and rubbing my right cheek gently. I didn't know what to do. It was such an awkward position with Li-san cupping my face in his hands and rubbing away pencil marks from my face. My face was becoming flushed, and I opened my mouth to speak.  
  
"I can wash it off in the bathroom," I stuttered quietly.  
  
Li-san turned a bright shade of red and quickly took his hands away as if he wasn't in control of his actions a few seconds ago. "Ah..." he grumbled, letting me pass by him.  
  
I quickly scuttled to the bathroom, shutting the door and heavily leaning on it. I gripped my chest as my heart was beating so quickly I thought it'd burst. What was wrong with me? I checked the mirror and saw a small smudge still on my right cheek. I scolded myself for completely embarrassing and humiliating myself at Li-san's home. I hastily washed off the mark and dried my face in Li-san's green towel.  
  
I took a second to breathe before leaving the bathroom, not even wanting to think about why I was acting as strangely as I did. "Ano," I said, seeing Li-san slumped on his couch, "I think I have to get going. Thank you for your time today."  
  
He nodded, standing up and handing me my bag. "You'll do fine tomorrow," he said. "I'll see you then."  
  
"Okay. Sayonara, Li-san," I said with a smile before leaving his apartment. I let out a sigh of relief the moment his door closed and headed back home. I was still a bit worried about tomorrow's lesson, but I knew I'd be able to handle it somehow.  
  
Little did I know that Monday's lesson wouldn't be the only thing I would have to worry about that week.  
  
~~~~~  
  
C-Mage: .... Short. .' Again, I'm super sorry! I do like it, though. Nice S+S moment. *grins* Review, comment, flame if you must....  
  
T.Anjel: Same same. 


	12. Syaoran Relinquishes Command

C-Mage: *ducks from tomatoes* I'm really sorry about it taking so long! Excuses are useless, I know, but I'm sure you all know how busy life gets during the school year. Thanks a bunch for putting up with us and for not giving up. ^.^~ Can you believe we're on chapter 12 already? *glomps readers* You guys rock!  
  
T.Anjel: Want a cookie? =D no comment.  
  
Disclaimers: We don't own CCS. We only own David and misc. students. Want 'em?  
  
Summary: Sakura's first day teaching, and David's first day with the self-defense club. o.O  
  
Learn to Love Me - Chapter 12 - Syaoran Relinquishes Command  
  
~~~~~  
  
Ring!  
  
"Hoe!"  
  
My eyes flicked to the door. Good. She wasn't completely late.  
  
Kinomoto burst through the classroom door, resting her arms on her knees and breathing hard, clutching a stack of worksheets. "Go-gomen nasai!" She looked up and winced at the students staring at her quizzically.  
  
I folded my arms on my chest and looked sternly at her. "I'm sure you know my policy on tardiness. Don't do it again." Giving her a final glare, I gestured for her to take over. "If you're ready...?"  
  
"Oh! Yes, Mr. Li." She hastily set down her bag and pulled out her notes. Taking a moment to breathe deeply, she turned to face the class, and I moved to sit in a chair at the back of the room.  
  
She smiled engagingly at the room. "I'm sure you all know who I am...." The students giggled as she blushed. "I'm going to be teaching this chapter to you, so please go easy on me. This is my first time really teaching...." I frowned. Putting yourself down was never the best way to go.  
  
"Is not!" cried a student. I opened my mouth to reprimand him, but remembered I wasn't teaching, and therefore had to let Kinomoto have control. Hm. This might be harder than I thought. "You teach the self-defense club!"  
  
Another blush. "Yes, well, that's with Mr. Li's help...." I coughed. "Oh! Right. The chapter." She looked at her notes. "Who can tell me about the first colony in America?"  
  
"The Pilgrims!" called a student without raising their hand.  
  
"No, Jamestown!" argued another.  
  
Kinomoto smiled. "Actually, you're both wrong. The very first real colony in America was Roanoke. What can you tell me about Roanoke?"  
  
"They all died...?" ventured someone in the front row.  
  
"Exactly!" exclaimed Sakura, delighted. She turned to write on the board. "The settlers at Roanoke all died within a few years of their arrival. Can you tell me what the driving factors for their settlement were?"  
  
Settling in with paper for my own notes, I frowned slightly as I watched Kinomoto chatting with the students. Her teaching method had merit, as it gained more interaction from the students. Granted, only a few really participated, but I could tell they looked more lively than during my lectures. Maybe none would fall asleep today.  
  
The loud shout of the student directly in front of me brought my hand to my temples. Kinomoto's teaching method also was much too noisy for me. I could tell I'd have a headache soon enough.  
  
By the time the next bell rang, Kinomoto had moved through the first part of the chapter and distributed worksheets. "Please have your homework done by tomorrow!" she called after the disappearing wave of students.  
  
I stood up and walked stiffly to the front of the room, remembering her tardiness. "Ms. Kinomoto," I said, stopping by her. She glanced up from organizing her notes.  
  
"Oh! Mr. Li. I'm so, so sorry about being late this morning! I was up late and overslept, and then I had to make some copies.... I'm not in trouble, am I?" She looked just like one of the students in my classes.  
  
"I may not be able to give you a referral for being late, but I hope you're never late again. I'm sure I could come up with some punishment of my own."  
  
Her shoulders sagged under the reprimand. "I promise I won't be late again. It's just...I had to go over my notes...." I held up a hand to stop her.  
  
"I'm not asking any questions as to why, just saying not to do it again." Noticing her eyes sadden, I said, "You did well. Keep it up, and you'll get your credentials easily." She smiled at me.  
  
"Thanks, Mr. Li."  
  
The rest of the day breezed by. Watching Kinomoto teach the same stuff over and over wasn't the most interesting thing ever, so I ended up pulling out a book and reading, glancing up occasionally. As I'd predicted, she was a natural and held the students' attentions easily.  
  
This got me to thinking about my own teaching methods. As previously noted, students had a tendency to fall asleep during my lectures. I had my schedule worked out completely, to the point where I almost had it memorized. Heck, I did have parts of it memorized, but I'd never admit it out loud. Maybe I should change it. ...A little.  
  
During our next free block, Kinomoto was leaving, presumably to gossip with Daidouji, as I called out, "A moment, Kinomoto-san." Looking puzzled, she walked over.  
  
"Hai?"  
  
Unsure how to put it, I cleared my throat. "How would you describe my teaching style?"  
  
Her brow furrowed. "Well...you lecture." She shrugged.  
  
I sighed. "I know that. How would you describe it in terms of the students and how they react?"  
  
She thought for a second. "The students copy down notes. And...some fall asleep." She winced slightly.  
  
I nodded. This was where I'd been heading. "Do you think I should change it?" A slight blush colored my cheeks. I wasn't the type to ask opinions, especially on myself.  
  
Auburn hair swished as she tilted her head. "Hm.... You could try to have the class participate more. No offense, but they kind of...just sit there."  
  
My amber eyes squinted. "You think I should teach more like you?"  
  
She blushed hotly. "If you want. You've been teaching longer...I only started today. But from experience as a student not so long ago, participating helps." Her lips curled up in a smile.  
  
"Thank you," I said, genuinely meeting it. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Now you can go onto meet Daidouji-san, or wherever it was you're going."  
  
"Actually, I'm going to surprise David-kun...."  
  
I glared. Why'd she have to go see Kaplan, anyway? What was there to discuss? "Teachers aren't really supposed to leave the premises until the end of the school day."  
  
Her face fell. "Oh...."  
  
My heart clenched at her sad face. Damn it all. Gruffly, I said, "I guess it's fine...just don't be late."  
  
She lit up like a Christmas tree. "Thanks, Li-san!" She lightly kissed my cheek and bounded out through the door. Staring after her, I touched my cheek, still feeling the lingering warmth of her lips. The thought of never washing that cheek flitted through my mind, but I dismissed it as unsanitary.  
  
Then I remembered Kaplan. Growling low in my throat, I fought not to throw something and stalked back to my chair.  
  
When Kinomoto returned, she was fairly glowing. "I've set it all up with David-kun for Friday! Is it all right if you two demonstrate together?" I nodded jerkily. "Great!" She plunked down in my desk and started humming as she pulled out make-work.  
  
"Kinomoto-san." She looked up at me. "Please don't move anything." She blushed.  
  
"Un," she nodded.  
  
We settled into our work, but soon enough Kinomoto started tinkering with what was on my desk.  
  
"Li-san?" she asked tentatively.  
  
"...Hai?" I responded, pulling myself into awareness.  
  
"Why don't you have any pictures?" Puzzled, I looked up, and she pointed to the empty space on my desk. "Most teachers have pictures of their loved ones on their desks. Why don't you?"  
  
I growled, "That's not really any of your business."  
  
She blushed and looked down. "Gomen, Li-san," she murmured and returned to her work, pausing to glance up at me every now and then.  
  
Sighing, I put aside my book and looked at her. "If you'd really like to know why I don't have any pictures, it's because there's no reason to. Most of my family's estranged, and those that aren't keep little contact. I gave up a lot when I moved to America." I shrugged, but Kinomoto's eyes softened.  
  
"Gomen ne," she said quietly, so I could barely hear her.  
  
"It's nothing to be sorry about," I reassured quickly, thinking of how lucky she was to have all of her family's support behind her. The Clan had disagreed with my intentions, and so I had moved. I liked to think I was the better for it, but sometimes I had my doubts.  
  
"I wish I could give you a picture for you desk, but that would seem a little silly, wouldn't it?" she said wistfully. "You don't know any of my family, and if I gave you a picture of me...well...." Her resulting blush rivaled some of my best, which was saying something. I coughed nervously, and we sat like that for a few minutes, until Kinomoto slammed her fist into a palm.  
  
"I've got it!" she exclaimed triumphantly. Turning a dazzling smile on me, she asked, "How would you like a picture of the self-defense club? It's something important and that you care about, and I'm sure the students would be happy to pose."  
  
"How do you know it's important to me?" I asked, feigning indifference.  
  
She blinked emerald orbs. "You just seem so happy...so at peace whenever we're working with the students, or when you're sparring or practicing a form. I'd think it would be obvious."  
  
Little did she know that she was the first person to catch upon this. No one, not even my youngest sister, knew how important it was to me. Martial arts had been taught to me first by my father, and then by Wei-san, who was almost a surrogate father to me. It was always something I could do to relax, almost like meditation.  
  
"Li-san..." she ventured, when I'd been silent for a while. I startled.  
  
"Oh! Gomen," I said, cheeks tinting.  
  
She smiled. "I can see you're preoccupied, so I'll continue with my work. And...Li-san." She paused. "Arigatou."  
  
"For what?" I asked, puzzled.  
  
"For talking." With that, she picked up her pencil to work for the remaining few minutes of our free period.  
  
~~~~~  
  
The rest of the day came and went, as did the rest of the week. Soon enough it was Friday, complete with all it entailed. The thought of playing 'training buddy' with Kaplan held little appeal to me, and I pondered staying home to get out of it as I lay in my bed early Friday morning. I finally rejected the thought, as I'd never missed a day of school without due reasoning. I doubted Hiiragizawa-san would accept dislike of a co-worker...and Kaplan wasn't even that.  
  
Groaning, I hauled myself out of bed and into the shower, then forcing myself to get dressed and drive to school. It had always amused me to say I went to school Monday through Friday, but no one else seemed to appreciate the joke.  
  
When I reached my classroom, I frowned. The door was unlocked, and the lights were on. I arrived at school early enough that hardly anyone was there, and I certainly never expected Kinomoto to arrive this early. She had a hard enough time arriving to school on time, as it was.  
  
Turning the knob with a sense of foreboding, I pushed open the door and peeked inside. What greeted me was an aggravating sight. Kaplan, fully awake and grinning, was sitting in my chair with his feet propped on my desk. Growling, I entered the room and plopped my bag down on my chair in the back of the room.  
  
"'Morning, Kaplan," I forced out.  
  
"'Morning to you, Mr. Li, and a good one it is, too!" He was positively beaming, his green eyes sparkling. I felt like marching over to him and smacking him good and hard, messing up his precisely-placed hair. He had no right to be sitting in my desk, in my room, bidding me good morning, especially when he was dating my student - My thoughts ground to a halt.  
  
"Why are you here?" I asked. "Isn't this illegal?"  
  
Kaplan shrugged. "I doubt it. I asked the permission of your principal, Mr. Hiiragizawa. He said he'd be delighted to let me in. I'm here to check in on the self-defense club...and Sakura." His eyes went to slits. "Now, I'm the one dating Sakura, so you'd better keep your hands and your eyes off of her, understand?"  
  
Oh, how I longed to knock him out, even if just for a minute. Instead, I snorted. "What Ms. Kinomoto does in her free time is of no relevance to me."  
  
Kaplan nodded. "Good. See that it stays that way. I'd hate to have to beat you up."  
  
Now, this was much more familiar territory. "In your dreams. I always was better than you, and you know it."  
  
Kaplan rose to the bait. "As if. You only beat me that one time because of a fluke!"  
  
"One time?!" I demanded, incredulous. "I beat you in every single match! And I have the documents to prove it!"  
  
Kaplan was just opening his mouth to reply when a sweet "Ohayo, Li-san!" resounded through the now open door and Kinomoto waltzed in. She turned towards the desk and stopped. "Oh! David! I didn't realize you would be here!"  
  
"Neither did I," I grumbled inaudibly.  
  
Kaplan chuckled easily, resuming his suave act. "I wanted to surprise you, honey." He leaned down to kiss her, and I averted my gaze, flushing with anger.  
  
"You certainly did!" she exclaimed, laughing. "Now, I need to put my stuff where you're sitting, so could you please move?" She favored him with a soft smile.  
  
"Of course, my lady," he murmured, standing smoothly. "I'd never dream of being in your way."  
  
"David, stop it," she muttered quietly, thinking I couldn't hear. "Mr. Li's in here." David smirked and nodded his assent.  
  
Kinomoto quickly arranged her stuff on my desk, then turned to Kaplan. "Why are you here so early? Don't you have to prepare for your classes?" I snorted, and Kinomoto shot me an annoyed look.  
  
"I really wanted to make sure I was correct on the club information, but I also couldn't wait to see you again." Even without looking, I could feel Kinomoto blush. Turning his attention more towards me, Kaplan continued, "It's at four, right? In the gym?"  
  
I closed the book I'd been pretending to read. "Yes. Don't forget anything. We won't have time to wait for you to get it."  
  
"I won't," Kaplan rebutted. "Will you need any help with the mats and supplies?"  
  
"I haven't in the past, so I don't see why I should now."  
  
Kaplan and I stared at each other moodily. Finally, Kinomoto broke the oppressive silence by crying, "Hoe! David, if you don't hurry, you'll be late to your class!"  
  
"Ah," said Kaplan, hastily moving in to kiss Kinomoto farewell. "See you both later!" he called jovially, heading out the door and waving.  
  
"I don't get what you see in him," I said, almost to myself. Apparently Kinomoto heard, however, because she responded.  
  
"What is it with you? First 'Nii-chan, then you! Doesn't anyone like David?"  
  
I snorted. "Not likely."  
  
Unwittingly or not, I had just agreed with Kinomoto's 'nii-chan for what would perhaps be the only time in our lives.  
  
~~~~~  
  
At four o'clock on the dot, I arrived at the outer gym doors and unlocked them, hefting in my equipment. What greeted me was a surprise: instead of the dark emptiness I'd grown used to, Kinomoto and Kaplan were bantering while positioning mats. My mood darkened noticeably.  
  
"Why, Mr. Li! You're just in time! For a second there, I thought you were going to be late." Kaplan grinned cheekily.  
  
"I'm never late, Mr. Kaplan," I assured him, growling low in my throat. I dropped off my gear and went to the lockers. "I'll be back in a minute," I called over my shoulder.  
  
When I came back out, Kinomoto and Kaplan were still going at it. Another growl. "I thought we were here to warm up," I muttered, loud enough for them to hear. Kinomoto blushed, but Kaplan responded.  
  
"Terribly sorry, but we've actually been waiting for you...." Oh, how I wanted to slap that insolent smirk off his face. Instead, I shrugged.  
  
"All right, then. Let's warm up."  
  
We went through a succession of stretches, and by the time we'd finished, the usual students were trickling in. When they'd all sat down and written their names on a piece of paper, Kinomoto addressed the group.  
  
"Now, I'm sure you've all noticed the extra teacher up here." Kaplan smiled winningly at the students, causing more than a few to giggle and whisper. "This is Mr. Kaplan, and he works at the elementary school as a kindergarten teacher. I expect you all to show him the same amount of respect you'd give to me or Mr. Li. Okay?"  
  
"Okay," mumbled the students, as they were rarely enthusiastic about anything.  
  
"Now that that's settled, we can begin!" exclaimed Kinomoto, clapping her hands together. "Mr. Li and Mr. Kaplan will demonstrate while I go around to check on your performance. Okay?"  
  
"Okay," came the repeated mumbles. I suppressed a smile.  
  
"All right! First, does anyone remember the front jump kick?" There were a few feeble attempt, but for the most part the students just stood around and looked at each other. Kaplan rolled his eyes at me, but I looked away.  
  
"You almost have it," encouraged Kinomoto. "Mr. Li, could you demonstrate?" I quickly jumped with my left foot, then kicked with my right, then reverted to attention. "Could you all do that?" The group started their fumbling attempts at the jump/kick combination, and Kinomoto started to move through the group, correcting stance, balance, and timing.  
  
"Geez, what are these?" muttered Kaplan to me while he threw out a kick. "They're horrible."  
  
"They're students," I muttered back, kicking as well. "They have the right to learn." Kaplan shook his head in derision.  
  
"They aren't even trying, and they're not paying, either. It's a waste of their time."  
  
I smoldered. He was insulting my students and my fighting ability. "They're just beginning. I'd wager you weren't that good when you started." I snorted. "Heck, you still aren't very good."  
  
A muscle in Kaplan's jaw twitched, and he quickly turned to face me in an offensive stance. "I beg you to reconsider, Mr. Li," he ground out between clenched teeth.  
  
I smirked as I switched to a defensive stance. "It'd stay the same, anyway."  
  
Kaplan glared and lunged at me, throwing a punch at me. I blocked easily. Next, a kick, blocked again. He really was a good fighter, but I was better. He threw a flurry of punches and kicks at me, but I blocked them all.  
  
"Ms. Kinomoto was harder," I taunted, sliding away again. Kaplan yelled something inaudible and went at me again, but this time Kinomoto interceded.  
  
"STOP!!!" she yelled, throwing herself between us. "What do you think you're doing, hm?" She glared at each of us in turn, arms akimbo, hands on her hips.  
  
"Fighting," I supplied, shrugging. Why try to dodge the accusation if it was true?  
  
"And why?" she asked, voice starting to growl.  
  
"Mr. Li insulted my fighting ability," answered Kaplan, sounding suspiciously like a student ratting out another.  
  
Kinomoto turned her fury on me. "I would expect something like that from a child, not from a full-grown adult! Apologize to Mr. Kaplan this instant!"  
  
Grumbling, I said, "Mr. Kaplan, I'm sorry for insulting your fighting ability. You are a good fighter." Kaplan grinned as if he'd won a grand contest. "...But I'm better." Kinomoto's eyes narrowed, but thankfully Kaplan hadn't heard.  
  
"Thank you," said Kinomoto. "Now, Mr. Kaplan, apologize to Mr. Li."  
  
Kaplan choked on his grin. "Why?"  
  
Kinomoto rolled her eyes, as if talking to a child. "Because you attacked him. Never once did he throw in anything but a block."  
  
Kaplan shrugged. "Mr. Li, I'm sorry for attacking you." He turned to Kinomoto. "Can I go now?" Kinomoto looked flustered, but she nodded jerkily. Kaplan gathered up his stuff and kissed Kinomoto on the cheek, then headed out the door.  
  
Sighing, Kinomoto turned towards the students, who were talking noisily, and looked as if she'd forgotten they were there. "Okay, okay, that's done. I'm sorry about that." Emerald daggers shot at me. "I hope you all never act that way. What we're teaching is for self-defense, not petty fights. Understood?" The students nodded. Kinomoto smiled. "Now, where were we? Ah, yes, the kicks."  
  
I moved away slightly, and Kinomoto turned to hiss at me. "We'll talk later, understood?" I nodded. "Good."  
  
With that, we returned to teaching the group, but I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach that something bad had just happened.  
  
~~~~~  
  
C-Mage: *evil cackle* Hah! Aren't I lovely?! That was too much funny. Comments are appreciated, as always. Thanks for reading and for putting up with us!  
  
T.Anjel: Yum...cookies 


	13. Sakura Plays Referee

T.Anjel: Everyone wants them to kiss! O.o~ sounds good… mmhmm… But it ain't happening till..oh…I don't know…maybe another twenty chapters?! Sounds good, no? Yeah! I thought so  
  
C-Mage: Yays! Another chappy! We're going to torture you all with how slowly things go. *pulls Meiling pose* Ohhohohohohoho!  
  
Standard Disclaimers Apply: Everyone seems to be lovin' David! Isn't he the greatest? We know he is, that's why he's all ours! But…the others are not.  
  
Learn to Love Me – Chapter 13 – Sakura Plays Referee  
  
The self-defense club ended quickly enough, with the kids panting for breath and inwardly congratulating themselves for either improving or for at least trying. The kids were instructed to fold away the mats and pack up the padding and other equipment used for training. "Same time next week!" I called out as the members filed out of the gym.   
  
Without a second to lose, I swiveled to face Li-san. He grimaced. I plopped my fists on my hips and shifted my weight to one leg. "That was extremely unnecessary!" I began.  
  
"I know," he quickly replied, defending himself as best he could.  
  
I honestly didn't want to have this conversation, but when it came to dealing with David, Li-san was such a child. "I know you don't like David-kun," I said, toning my voice down. "But I would appreciate it if you didn't act so recklessly in front of the students!" Li-san seemed taken aback by my words. Did I say something wrong? I shook away my thoughts and continued.   
  
"I don't understand why you hate him so much, anyway! He's a good man!" Li-san snorted. I huffed and frowned. "Can't you two get along?"  
  
"No," he immediately answered. "Look, Kinomoto-san, as much as I love being lectured by you, can we get this over with? I have somewhere to go today."  
  
I fumed. And let me tell you, I rarely fume. I stomped my foot down, demanding he listened to me. "Fine, I don't care if you don't get along with David-kun, it's not like I'm your mediator. But you could at least show a bit of respect, especially in front of the students. As a model for these kids, the first thing you should be showing is respect," I said, enraged at his ignorance and selfishness. The nerve of him to be acting as if what he did wasn't wrong! I growled, not able to put my frustrated thoughts in words.   
  
I just stomped my foot again, finalizing my speech, and turned to leave. I didn't bother to look at Li-san's face. It didn't matter. I was too angry to even think straight. Was I overreacting? Probably, but I didn't care at the moment.   
  
I stormed out of the gym and outside to the parking lot. A cool breeze reminded me the coming of the cold weather. I rubbed my hands against my arms and got in the car. I started the engine and noticed something on the windshield. A note? I took the note from the safety of the wipers and saw that it was written from David.   
  
"I'm sorry I was acting so immaturely," I read aloud. "I promise never to do that again. Forgive me, love. Hugs and kisses from David." I didn't know whether to be annoyed or pleased by the note. Something inside me tugged at my gut saying, 'Ah, what a fake.'  
  
"But he apologized," I argued, putting my seatbelt on and backing out of my parking space. "Unlike Li-san." I puffed my cheeks at the thought of the teacher before streaking out of school territory.   
  
Once I arrived home, Tomoyo-san handed me the phone. "David called," she informed me with a neutral face. I took the phone and dialed his memorized number.   
  
"Hello?"  
  
"David? Did you call?" I asked, recognizing his voice.  
  
"Hey, honey. Did you get my note?" he immediately asked.   
  
"Mm," I replied affirmatively. He waited for an extra second. He must've expected me to squeal at his affectionate and caring consideration and praise him for being so thoughtful. Not happening, I thought. I was still too irritated from Li-san's behavior.  
  
After not getting a reply from me, David continued without pushing the subject. "It's the weekend, and I think we should go somewhere. Are you busy tonight?"  
  
"Ah…." I wasn't too sure if I wanted to go out.   
  
"You're stressed out from scolding Li so much," he said, sounding cheerful at the thought. "The perfect stress reliever is to have a nice quiet dinner with me."  
  
"I don't know," I replied skeptically.   
  
"C'mon baby," David whined. "I know this great place. Very traditional type of restaurant. A good friend of mine works there; he'd give us a quiet private room. The food there is great, too!"  
  
"David, I'm tired," I said, slumping into a kitchen chair. "I'm really…."  
  
"I'm really sorry about my behavior, baby," David urged. "I really am. I just want to make it up to you, that's all."  
  
I smiled. "That's sweet of you, but really, I'm exhausted."  
  
"Please, Sakura," David begged. "Just this once."  
  
I sighed, rubbing my temple before saying, "Fine." I heard a muffled shout of cheer from the other line.   
  
"I'll pick you up in two hours," David said before kissing the receiver and hanging up.   
  
I sat in the kitchen for ten minutes, thinking about nothing in particular. I let out a long breath before getting up and taking a quick shower. I slipped on a long, simple blue dress with a touch of flower prints going down the side. I saw I had an hour left before David picked me up, so I decided to flop back on my bed and take a small nap.   
  
I was never used to feeling this frustrated and agitated. This emotion used up too much of my energy. In what felt like a second after I'd laid down on my bed, I heard David honk outside. I groaned and rolled off the bed. Stumbling out the front door, I greeted David with a small wave. This was going to be a long night.   
  
It was a seemingly quick trip to the restaurant. I somehow fell asleep on ride over. Walking out, I saw it was one of those restaurants styled to look like old, Japanese, traditional houses, inside and out. David led me inside and talked quietly to one of the waiters. With a small gesture telling us to follow him, the waiter led us through the beautifully decorated restaurant to the back, where there was a row of private rooms. He led us toward the end of the row and opened the shoji back for us.   
  
I slipped out of my shoes and struggled carefully on the low platform without ruining Tomoyo-san's dress. David followed in after me. We sat across from each other at the low table and skimmed through the ten-page menu.   
  
I told my order to the waiter and waited patiently until David was done ordering his. He gave his menu to the waiter and turned his attention to me.  
  
"How are you feeling?" he asked.   
  
"Good," I lied, forcing a wide smile on my face. David didn't even notice my strained muscles as he smiled right back.  
  
"That's good," he replied. "I thought you'd be just completely exhausted and angry at me." My eye twitched at his response, but I just kept smiling. The waiter came in through the door with a bottle of wine. He poured David and me a glass before exiting just as quietly as he came in.   
  
David reached over and grabbed my hand. "You don't have any idea how lucky we are to have each other," he said, staring into my half-closed eyes.   
  
I had a gut feeling that he meant "You're so lucky to have me as a boyfriend, Sakura." I shook away the thought.   
  
"This tastes disgusting!" a voice yelled from an adjacent room.   
  
Both David and I turned peered at the rice paper wall thinly separating the next room from ours. That voice, I thought, peering over my shoulder. That voice was so familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it.   
  
"And you're claiming to be a five star restaurant!" the voice yelled again.   
  
Ah, bingo. Meiling. I berated myself for not being able to recognize the shrill voice earlier. Without responding to David's questioning stare, I lightly opened the shoji door to our room and peered next door, where a couple of waiters were bowing apologetically to Meiling.   
  
She continued complaining, pointing dramatically at her food. I didn't know whether to feel pity or humor for Li-san, who sat hopelessly across the table from her.  
  
"Is it honestly just a mere coincidence that these two end up in the same restaurant with us again?" David asked, obviously disappointed with the turn of events.   
  
I was still feeling a little ticked off from Li-san's behavior that afternoon, and I didn't feel like having a nice big dinner with them at the moment. "Let's leave them alone," I whispered, going back into our small room and shutting the shoji back shut.   
  
The thin rice paper walls didn't help to block out Meiling's endless complaining. I was able to tune her out, but David obviously wasn't able to, evident by the way his eye kept twitching and how he kept glancing over at the door. Finally, with a frustrated grunt, he stood up and got out of the room. "David…," I called after him, but he was already at the next room, threatening Meiling and her date, Li-san.   
  
I scrambled after him. He never really did have a good control over his temper. I stumbled over the apologizing waiters and into the small room. David was spraying spit over an enraged Meiling as he was yelling at her to be quiet. It was quite the ironic scene, but I didn't have time to contemplate that as I grabbed his arm and pulled him back, quieting him.   
  
"David!" I scolded, frowning and staring at him straight in the eyes.   
  
David shook me off and averted his eyes away from mine. "Yeah," he grumbled. I bowed apologetically to the waiters and slightly in the direction of Meiling and Li-san.   
  
I grabbed David's arm again and tugged him out of their room. I purposefully avoided meeting eyes with Li-san. I wasn't quite settled from his earlier behavior just yet. David and I went into the next room and stopped in our tracks. A small group of three was sitting at our table.   
  
"Ah…uhm…," I said, not knowing exactly why they were settled in our room.   
  
"Oh, David!"   
  
David and I turned around and saw a blushing waiter scratching his head sheepishly. "I know you wanted to book a private room last minute, but I accidentally booked you this room for tomorrow night. Not tonight," the waiter said, biting his lip. "Sorry, man. My mistake."  
  
David's twitching eye told me he was irritated by the mistake, but he smiled nonetheless. "That's no problem," he said. "We'll just take an outside table here."  
  
The waiter sighed with relief, and, just as he looked as if he was going to lead us to a table, he paused. "The waiting time is an hour," he said regretfully, looking worried.   
  
David better not blow up, I thought.   
  
"Do you mind waiting an hour?" David asked me, shining a forced smile.   
  
I did, but I didn't have the heart to say that. "It should be no problem," I replied, straining on a smile as well.  
  
"Oh!" the waiter friend of David's said, clapping his hands together. "Or you could share a private room with someone else. If the others don't mind, of course."  
  
I shrugged. It sounded like a better plan to me. "It's up to you, David," I said, sounding uncaring to the matter.  
  
"If you could find someone who's willing to share the room, it's fine with me," David said.  
  
The waiter nodded and was off to find a room.   
  
We both stood awkwardly at the back of the restaurant, waiting for the man to come back. He did after five minutes with a smile on his face.   
  
"There's a couple that's willing to split the cost of the room tonight," he said, motioning us to follow him.   
  
That's how David and I ended up sharing a room with Meiling and Li-san. It was the most uncomfortable night spent in a restaurant. David and Li-san completely ignored everyone else in the room, Meiling glared at me, and I…well, I was feeling pretty hopeless.   
  
The tension eased a notch when the food arrived, though. I actually had something to do rather than stare at the table and count the number of knots in the polished wood. I timidly chewed my food and swallowed, cautiously watching everyone else focus on their food.   
  
As if frustrated to his limits from the tension in the room, David demanded for a bottle of the best sake the restaurant had to offer. This was definitely not going to lead to anything good.  
  
When the sake came, David poured Li-san and himself a small glass full. He drank the small cup in one swoop. He watched Li-san's neutral face. It was a challenge.   
  
"David…," I began, but he silenced me with a glare. This was it, I thought, moaning to myself. This was another thing they had to compete against and win.   
  
Li-san didn't hesitate at David's silent challenge and drank the liquor in one swig. He slammed it back on the table, ready for more.   
  
I looked to Meiling for help, but she just looked on with amusement, quietly cheering Li-san on. Well, so much for that.   
  
Before I knew it, David and Li-san had gone through eight bottles of sake, and they were almost finishing the ninth. Li-san looked more or less stable, and David looked as if he was going to keel over any minute now.   
  
"David! Li-san!" I said, stopping David from pouring Li-san another cupful. "Stop this! You're acting like children."  
  
"Stop stressing, babe," David said. His eyes were unfocused, and his smile was crooked. He held the bottle in front of me. "You want some?"  
  
I shook my head and took the bottle from him. "That's enough." David gave me a dirty look before taking it back from my hands.   
  
"I'm old enough to take care of myself, thank you," David said sarcastically, continuing to drink with Li-san.   
  
"Quit trying to stop them, Kinomoto," Meiling told me, twirling a toothpick in her fingers. "Let them settle their own fights."   
  
I didn't say anything in response. As immature as it was, I did have to wait and let the two men battle it out. No matter how hard I tried to stop them, there would always be something else they had to prove themselves at.   
  
So I sighed and let them finish off fourteen bottles of sake. I grimaced every time both men forced themselves to swallow down the alcohol and demand for more. I shook my head as David lay on the floor and moaned while Li-san hiccupped and tried to keep himself steady.   
  
Meiling's cell phone rang, and she quickly picked it up. "Yeah?" she said and waited for a response. "No! She didn't! Yeah, okay. No problem. I'll be right there." She hung up and looked apologetically at me. "I'm so sorry, Kinomoto, but something just came up. I have to get going. I'm sorry, Syaoran," Meiling cooed to Li-san and kissed his defenseless forehead. "Well…ciao." She gave a big wave before leaving me in the small room with two drunken men.   
  
This was not my day.   
  
I gave an exhasperated sigh before going over to Li-san. I tapped his shoulder. "Li-san?" He turned over to me, one eye squinting.   
  
"Kinomoto-san," he slurred. His face was an inch away from mine, and I probably would've blushed to my roots if his breath didn't smell so bad and if he wasn't so drunk. "What are you doing here?" he asked. He hiccupped and smiled. "Your eyes are green," he said, staring at my hair. "Pretty." He hiccupped again before deciding to break out into song.   
  
I was probably blushing from the pretty eyes comment Li-san made, drunk or not. "Shh, Li-san. We're in a restaurant. You're being rude."  
  
Li-san pouted. "But I want to sing," he whined, his eyes half-closed. He continued singing, but at a slightly lower volume. That was the best I could get from him.  
  
"David," I said, crawling over to David's fallen form. He was knocked out completely. There would be no use in trying to wake him up. "What am I going to do?" I groaned to myself. "Li-san, can you be quiet?" I asked, looking over the table at him.   
  
"No," he said stubbornly and continued singing.   
  
"Excuse me, miss?"  
  
I looked over at the doorway to see David's friend waiter standing there bashfully. I sighed with relief.   
  
The waiter quickly scanned the room and made a hopeless face. "If it's of any help, I can take David home tonight. And…where did that other woman go?"   
  
"She left," I answered dully at the thought of Meiling.   
  
The waiter bit his lower lip.   
  
"I know this man," I said, motioning to the caroling Li-san. "I'll take him home." I smiled grimly. "Do you think you could help me get him into his car?"  
  
The waiter nodded vigorously.   
  
I motioned for him to give me one second. "Li-san, let's get going." He stopped singing and looked questioningly at me.   
  
"Who are you?"   
  
"I'm someone who wants to help you, okay?" I said sweetly. "Now, where are your car keys, Li-san?"   
  
He looked up at the ceiling for an answer. "In my pocket," he replied.   
  
"Well, can I take a look at them?" I asked.   
  
He nodded and fished them out of his pocket.   
  
"Thank you," I said, and put them in my own pocket. "Now, let's go. C'mon."  
  
I motioned for the waiter to help me. He scrambled into the room and swung one of Li-san's arms around his neck. "C'mon, sir," he said, hefting him up onto his feet.  
  
I took Li-san's other arm and led the way out. It took ten minutes to get Li-san's car from valet parking and fasten the teacher into the passenger's seat. I tipped the waiter who helped us. "And you could take money from David's wallet for the check," I said, shining a wide smile.   
  
  
  
The waiter nodded with a skeptical grin and waved as I steered out of the parking lot.   
  
"Where are we going?" Li-san asked, sticking his head out the window.   
  
"Home," I replied. Li-san was a completely different drunk, and, as tired and frustrated as I felt, his behavior was amusing to watch.  
  
He continued to sing and talk about the most random things on the way to my house. I couldn't trust him in his apartment alone. He would have a terrible hangover tomorrow.   
  
I parked in the driveway and put the shift into park. "We're here."  
  
Li-san didn't say anything. I looked over at him. He was staring at me.   
  
"Let's go inside, Li-san," I said.   
  
He still didn't say anything but continued to stare.   
  
"What's wrong?" I asked. He pursed his lips into a crooked smile.   
  
What he did next completely took me off guard. In less than a second, he moved across to my side of the car and kissed me. My immediate reaction was to back away, but his hand was cradling my head from behind and wouldn't let me. My thoughts were a complete mess, and I didn't know what to do. His breath stunk of liquor, but his lips were soft and demanding. I moaned softly against his lips and found my hands were crawling around his neck. Li-san flicked his tongue against my lips, asking me to open them. I did so without hesitation. I pulled him closer to me, kissing him back furiously, hungering for more.  
  
Oh, Kami-sama, this was wrong. Earth to Kinomoto Sakura! My eyes snapped open, and I abruptly pushed Li-san back into his seat. My cheeks were flushed, I was panting for breath, and my heart was racing. Li-san didn't look hurt or confused; he just pouted.   
  
"I'm hungry," he said, leaning his head back in his seat. I did the same. What was I thinking? I slapped my forehead in disbelief. Oh, Kami-sama, what was I thinking?   
  
"Don't hit yourself," Li-san told me.   
  
"Li-san, why'd you kiss me?" I asked desperately.   
  
He shrugged. "You're pretty." I groaned. A completely shallow answer.   
  
"Okay, you're going to pretend like it never happened," I said, as if talking to child. "Is that too hard?"  
  
He shook his head.   
  
"Good," I said with a satisfied nod. "Let's go eat something then."  
  
Li-san clapped his hands together with glee. What, oh, what was I going to do with this man?  
  
We got out of the car, and I dragged him into the house. 'Nii-chan gave me the horrified look as I came into the house with a drunken man.   
  
"Who's this?" He asked, pointing at Li-san with a rolled up newspaper.  
  
"Li-san?" Tomoyo-san came into the hall.  
  
"Yo!" Li-san said with a wave and a hiccup. He stumbled over his feet and fell the ground.  
  
"Li-san!" Tomoyo-san and I exclaimed, trying to get him to sit up.  
  
"He's the teacher I work under," I told 'Nii-chan, grimacing at his disapproving look. "It's a long story. I promise to tell you later, okay? Can you just help me get him into my room?"  
  
'Nii-chan stared at me. I blushed. "No! No! I'm going to share rooms with Tomoyo-san! There aren't any guest rooms left for Li-san!"  
  
'Nii-chan sighed with relief and hefted the smaller man around his shoulder.   
  
"Where we going?" Li-san asked with a giggle.   
  
"To sleep," 'Nii-chan growled.   
  
"Thank you," I whispered after him.   
  
"You know you have a lot of explaining to do," Tomoyo-san said with a disgruntled grunt. I nodded. It has been a long night, and, from the looks of it, it was going to be a long morning as well. Li-san just gave the most horrible first impression to 'Nii-chan and was going to have a horrible hangover in the morning. Oh, goody, I can't wait.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
T.Anjel: Next chapter sounds like fun.  
  
C-Mage: -.o David's gotten so disgusting, ne? Ooo, our first kiss scene. *o* I so can't wait for the next chapter! I wonder what happens?! *T.A.-chan smacks C-Mage* *C-Mage rubs head* Ow.... 


	14. Syaoran Screws Up

C-Mage: So! I finally got off my lazy duff and wrote. *o* Very fun chapter to write, might I add! I'm sorry it's so late. We seem to be getting into a habit of that, ne? *wince*  
  
T.Anjel: YessSsss....  
  
Note on the coffee references: Ebola (a disease going around in Africa in outbreaks) tends to, er, turn victims' insides into a 'bloody pulp', as it were. They're also supposed to throw up blood with black floating things that look like coffee beans, so...yeah. Kind of disgusting, I know. ~.~'  
  
Disclaimer: We don't own CCS, hangovers, or my favorite Orlando Bloom piccy. ^.^~  
  
Summary: Syaoran has a killer hangover and royally messes up.  
  
Learn to Love Me - Chapter 14 - Syaoran Screws Up  
  
I dragged the heavy black blobs known as eyelids open to stare at popcorn ceiling. The fact that it was different from the panels of my bedroom hardly registered as a surge of nausea went through me. Fighting not to throw up, I yanked myself upright, only to clutch my head against the terrible pounding the movement had started. Leaning back slightly, my body discovered I could only attempt to contain one at once, and lost.  
  
Leaning over so as not to dirty the bed, I retched on the floor, spasming. Spent for the time being, I massaged my aching head, trying to keep down the next wave of discontent. Kami-sama, did I feel awful. Could you really feel this awful? Every vein in my head pulsed fiercely in an off-beat rhythm with the throws of my stomach. I barely managed to miss the pink bedcovers as I went down again.  
  
"I think I hear something from the gaki's room," came a young male voice that I vaguely recognized as approaching. The door creaked open - LOUD! screamed my eardrums - and I blearily looked at a tall, dark-haired man. Another bit hit me then, and I ducked down again.  
  
"Oi, Sakura!" he called out, facing away from me and my vomit. "Your precious sensei" - he practically spat out the word - "is awake! And I'm not cleaning it up!" He slammed the door shut and presumably stalked away, setting off another sharp jab into my skull.  
  
"Itai...," I winced, trying to no avail to massage away the pain. Why wouldn't it stop? Just even for a minute?  
  
"Clean up what?" asked Kinomoto as she pushed open the door, looking over her shoulder. Then she turned to face me full-on. "Oh, Li-san," she murmured, sighing and walking over to me. "If you're going to throw up, can we try for the toilet? It's much easier to clean up...."  
  
I blinked, puzzled. First of all, her voice only hurt slightly, as opposed to the banging cymbals that composed the man's voice. I suppose that's only natural, considering who he is, but at the time I had no idea. Standing up shakily, I kept tight control on my stomach and only burped up a little. Swallowing, I slurred, "B...but...I missed...." Kinomoto briefly shook her head in confusion, but I took it for denial. I gazed at the bed, where the delicate pink fabric was splattered. "Oh...go...men...."  
  
She sighed and grabbed my arm. Her hands were piercingly cold through my shirt. "Come on; we need to go to the bathroom." I guess I stared at her some more, because she started tugging on my arm. My only reaction was to cover my mouth and hope the bathroom wasn't very far away.  
  
Luck served me, as it was only down the hall a bit, and I promptly launched myself at the toilet. Where was I getting all this stuff, anyway? Through the hazy memories of the previous night I didn't remember eating much. Sake didn't have this volume, did it? Maybe I was throwing up my innards.... The memory of a book on Ebola brought on more heaving.  
  
Finally, after about ten minutes of wet and dry heaving, I felt I'd used up all contractions of my stomach for a year, or I'd Botox it to death. I stood up and raised a weak hand to my forehead, wiping off cool sweat. Somehow I batted at the toilet handle and stumbled out before the flushing overpowered me. The noise and scent it brought me did nothing for my condition.  
  
In the hallway, another situation faced me. Kinomoto's house had large windows facing the east, and all that light was streaming in to make a rather threatening destination for me. Steeling myself, I clutched at the papered wall and shuffled forward, squinting in pain. I turned the corner and looked into the kitchen, trying to ignore the reflected light on the walls.  
  
What greeted me was four people, instead of the one or two I could have expected. One was Daidouji, looking at prim and proper as ever, dressed well even on a weekend. Another was Kinomoto, with her shining auburn hair pulled back into a tidy horsetail. The other two I only recognized in the vaguest sense of the word.  
  
The taller one - the one who'd walked in on me earlier - was leaning against the cabinets and looking at me in disdain. He had disheveled black hair, but it didn't near match mine at that moment. His brown eyes glared at me with immediate dislike, and I was filled with a dislike akin to it under the layers of death and exhaustion.  
  
The other man was definitely older, as his face had a few wrinkles framing eyes and mouth. His hair was auburn as Kinomoto's, so I hazarded a guess that he was her father. He looked kindly enough and even smiled at me invitingly. He created a strong contrast to the other man, seated on a stool as he was. "Coffee?" He offered me a mug.  
  
Memories revitalized the surging of my insides, and I lurched back to the bathroom, heaving for a few more minutes before deeming myself better. Damned coffee beans.  
  
"Li-san?" I heard Daidouji's voice inquire. Reemerging, I nodded vaguely at her, but my eyes lingered on Kinomoto. She looked concerned, lips settled in a small frown, brows drawn together. Now that I look back on it, I realize I must have looked a sight, nice clothes all mussed with sleep and spattered with sake and vomit, eyes glazed over and hair tangled beyond belief. But all I could think of was her lips; they looked so soft and warm and inviting, I wondered what they'd feel like....  
  
Wait. Wondered? I didn't have to wonder anymore - I knew.... My lips remembered it, how soft and warm they had been, tasting of what little food she'd been able to eat. The slush of my brain forced me to think it through as the flesh of my cheeks reddened. I'd...I'd kissed Kinomoto...and it was definitely beyond protocol, whether the school board's or mine.  
  
My eyes widened, and I stumbled backwards, feeling for something to sit on. My flailing hands found the arm of a chair, and I sat down, gaping at Kinomoto. Kinomoto started forward, worried, but must have noted the color of my cheeks, for her emerald eyes widened then narrowed and she gave a short shake of the head. Words drifted back from the haze of my memory.  
  
"...pretend like it never happened..."  
  
Well, that explained that. I ignored her in favor of the approaching Daidouji and Kinomoto's father, who were looking worried. "Daijoubu?" asked Daidouji, placing her cool hand on my forehead. Fat lot of good that'd do, as my blushing and hangover combined ought to have given me all the signs of a fever. The taller man just grunted, as if my actions only justified what he'd already decided.  
  
I looked up at her and growled as well as I could, "What do you think?" Her violet eyes flickered into a smile.  
  
"I guess that is a silly question, isn't it?" She straightened. "Would you like something to drink?"  
  
Casting about for a liquid that'd help - other than coffee - I finally answered, "Water, please."  
  
She clapped her hands together, and I winced at the abrupt sound. "One water, coming right up!" She glided over to the kitchen, gathering a glass and filling it. Conversationally, she said, "I must say, Li-san, that you surprised us. Of course, Sakura-chan filled us in as soon as we got you into bed, but first we should do introductions, and then we can get you out of those clothes." She wrinkled her nose at the thought, then glanced at Kinomoto, leaving an opening for her.  
  
"Right. Li-san, this is my father, Kinomoto Fujitaka." She gestured to the older man, and it seemed I had guessed correctly. I nodded from my chair, and he bowed slightly. She turned on her stool to the other man. " And this is Kinomoto Touya, my onii-chan." Rather than bowing, he glared, and I jerked my head in reply, willing my eyes into what had once been my customary glare. Where had it gone? The thought flashed in and out of my head before I could process it.  
  
Now, this faced me with a bit of a problem. Three Kinomotos, and one surname. What to do? Urging my brain into anything resembling thought, I came up with the names. Kinomoto Fujitaka would be Kinomoto-san, as he seemed respectable enough. Kinomoto Sakura would remain Kinomoto as she had always been. And, finally, Kinomoto Touya would be - my favorite - the Baka. The corners of my lips twitched as I continued to glare with the Baka. At least I could practice some more; recently, my glare had gotten sorely out of use.  
  
Then, Daidouji waltzed back over, depositing the frigid glass into my putty-like hands. "Douzo," she smiled, stepping back in a puff of lavender. I brought it up to sip, watching the others wearily. The ice cold liquid struck at my forehead, almost making me cry out as I flinched and swallowed some more. Eventually my brain began to clear, and I put the empty glass down on a coaster. I didn't want to ruin their varnish, after all their hospitality.  
  
Kinomoto had been frowning in thought for a while and blinked when I set down the glass. "Okay, I've figured it out! Li-san, you can wear some of 'Nii-chan's clothes while we wash yours!" She smiled contentedly at us, pleased with her handiwork.  
  
"No," said the Baka immediately, standing up from his slouch. "There's no way in hell my clothes are going on that...that...gaki."  
  
I glared at him in retaliation, unheeding of the headache growing with the constant semi-squint. "Like I want to wear your clothes." My dislike of him was growing by the minute.  
  
"Now, now," said Kinomoto authoritatively, stepping between us, arms out. She had the air of someone used to dealing with such situations. "Your clothes will fit him better than 'Tou-san's, and it's not like he'll get them dirty or anything."  
  
"He might puke again," grumbled the Baka, crossing his arms in defiance.  
  
Kinomoto's emerald eyes flashed, and I realized they weren't like her father's or her brother's. Must be from her mother, then. "He will not, and you know it. Now, go and get some clothes for Li-san!" She made shooing motions at him until he sighed and stalked down the hall, flicking my head as he passed.  
  
Pain erupted at that spot, and I rubbed at it, grimacing. How long did a freaking hangover last?! I looked at Kinomoto questioningly. "Shower." She started back down the hallway, and I followed. The Baka stuffed some clothes into her arms as he passed, and she grabbed a fluffy towel from the linen closet. She shoved me into the bathroom and murmured, "The shower works just like yours, okay?" A blush flowered on her cheeks as she added, "Just leave your clothes in there; we'll wash them after you're finished." I nodded and entered, locking the door behind me.  
  
I stripped and turned on the shower, letting the water heat up before going in. The hot water pounded on my sore body as I washed away the reek of alcohol and vomit; this was much more effective than drinking water. I swallowed back bile at the thought of coffee and proceeded to wash my hair. The only choices were fruity or flowery, so I went with fruity, and the sick, twisted part of my brain decided to think on which Kinomoto used.  
  
I sighed. Kissing Kinomoto had been a mistake, no matter how good it had felt. I'd have to talk to her about it sometime, even if she didn't want to. I'd make her dismiss it and blame it on the sake. I nodded. She wouldn't think on it if she thought it was all because of the alcohol.  
  
I dried off and dressed in the Baka's clothing. The shirt was too big, and the pants were by no means fitting. The bottoms puddled on the floor, and I held onto the waist like a cinch. Hanging up the towel and collecting my dirty clothes, I walked into the main room. "Does anyone have a belt?" I asked around the bundle in my one arm. The other was busy keeping the pants from falling.  
  
Kinomoto grinned. "Maybe your clothes would have fit better, 'Tou-san. Tomoyo-san, could you get him a belt from 'Tou-san's things? I'll take those, Li-san." She gathered up my laundry and headed to another room, returning shortly I'd put on the belt Daidouji'd found. She giggled and handed me a comb in passing.  
  
Scowling, I pulled it through my stubborn locks, forcing them into a semblance of order before handing it back. My hand brushed hers, and I don't think I imagined the pink tinge of her cheekbones. The Baka glared at me, as if to say, 'Hands off, gaki.' I could have sworn I had a telepathic moment.  
  
My clothes were done none-to-soon, and I changed again before heading out to my car, Kinomoto following. I paused at the door and turned to her. "Arigatou," I muttered quietly. She smiled softly in reply.  
  
"Douitashimashite."  
  
Resisting the urge to kiss her again, I entered my car and drove home, contemplating my rather rash actions of the previous night and what they'd done to my sanity.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Monday dawned nice and cold, with a generous layer of frost on the ground and a chill in the air that made everyone's breath emerge as little puffs. As I sat in the school parking lot, collecting my stuff, I watched the students, running into the building in pairs, clutching at each other's arms for warmth. I growled and shoved the door open and went to my classroom, a veritable storm cloud.  
  
Unlocking the door seemed harder than necessary, as the key skittered across the doorknob and the bolt thunked back into the old wooden door. The slamming after the release of air irritated me, and I dropped my bag onto my desk with particular ferocity.  
  
Oh, yes, I was grumpy. Extremely grumpy.  
  
Why? Well, during the day of peace and quiet I'd been left with, I'd done some thinking. I'd decided I should definitely talk to Kinomoto about that kiss and set things straight, or else I'd never be able to live with myself. I'd also decided that Kinomoto's brother completely deserved his new title and that Kinomoto shouldn't be kissing Kaplan, but those were other matters.  
  
All in all, the prospect of approaching Kinomoto with a subject she wasn't open to and thinking about Kaplan had put me in a rather sour mood. Just the right opening to a beautiful week, huh?  
  
Kinomoto entered the room, not late for once, dressed in the suit from her first day. This time she'd left her hair down and had on appropriate shoes, but the memory took away a little of the gloom, if a minuscule amount.  
  
"Ohayo, Li-san," she said, smiling at my slightly. She walked towards my desk slowly, hefted her bag higher on her shoulder, blushed a little. It's a weird thought that I could make someone blush.  
  
"Ohayo, Kinomoto," I replied, collecting my papers for the transfer to the chair in the back. "How was your Sunday?" Okay, so I wanted to piddle-paddle around with small talk first. I ignored the voice in the back of my head saying I was afraid. Me, afraid? The next possible heir to the Li Clan? Hah!  
  
Fine, so I was, but I didn't have to admit it to myself.  
  
"Fine. I talked to David, and he was really sorry about it. Are you all right, though?" She looked at me, eyes a bit worried.  
  
I shook my head, relieving myself of the fizz of anger under my cheekbones. Stupid Kaplan.... "I'm fine. Spent the rest of my weekend grading papers and training."  
  
She nodded. "Don't you ever...." She hesitated. "Don't you ever get tired of the same old routine all the time?" She tilted her head a little to the right.  
  
I blinked, then snorted. "Hardly. Between you and Meiling, my life's been busier than normal recently."  
  
Her face flushed. "Sumimasen...."  
  
"Ah, daijoubu," I assured her. "It's much more interesting than grading papers all the time."  
  
She smiled. "I'm glad...."  
  
I opened my mouth to start the dreaded conversation. "I -" Just then, a student shoved open the door.  
  
"Miss Kinomoto, could I have some help with the homework?" he asked with no regard to our conversation. Kinomoto smiled.  
  
"Sure. Let's see what we can do." Glancing at me apologetically, she started to help the student with a worksheet that should have been a piece of cake.  
  
Scoffing, I turned away and went to the chair in the back. I suppose the talk would have to wait until later. I just hoped I'd still have the courage for it.  
  
The day went by as usual. Kinomoto's lesson was excellent, as I'd expected. I ate in the teacher's lounge, as had become my new ritual, and Hiiragizawa-san poked fun at what had happened over the weekend. Finally school was over, and it was just me and Kinomoto in the classroom once again.  
  
Gathering my courage, I walked up to the front of the room and coughed. Kinomoto looked up quizzically. "That was a good lesson, Kinomoto," I ventured finally; pitifully.  
  
Kinomoto's look of confusion deepened. "Are you all right, Li-san?" She extended her hand to touch my forehead, then said with a touch of humor, "Hm, you feel a bit hot to me. Are you sure you got enough sleep?"  
  
"Hai, I'm sure." I paused to breathe in, breathe out. "Kinomoto...."  
  
"Hai?" Her look clearly said she wanted me to get on with it.  
  
"About Friday," I said, looking at her straight on. She sighed.  
  
"Look, Li-san," she interrupted me with a wave of her hand. "I'd really appreciate it if you forgot all about that.... I'm sure your getting drunk really wasn't the best thing that could have happened, and I'm sure it was embarrassing for you. If you forget about it, I will."  
  
I frowned. Had she misunderstood me? "I am sorry about getting drunk, but I'm going to blame that on Kaplan. He was the one who started it."  
  
Kinomoto gasped. "Nani?! David-kun didn't start it!"  
  
"He did so," I returned. "Who ordered the sake, and who challenged me?" I glared my most menacingly.  
  
She glared right back, emerald eyes hard. "And who decided to take up his challenge? You never had to go that low, Li-san. I don't know what it is with you and David-kun, but it's really childish!"  
  
I clenched my teeth. "That's Kaplan's problem, not mine. He's the one that could never accept I was better than he was."  
  
"Oh, and you never accepted that he could be a challenge! If this is all you wanted to talk about, I'm going home!" Eyes flashing and hair flying, she grabbed her bag and stalked towards the door, radiating foul energy. I groped at falling straws.  
  
"Matte, Kinomoto. That wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about...."  
  
She whirled around and looked at me, clearly exasperated. "Then what was?" I walked over to her, and she her look softened. "Nani?"  
  
"This was," I murmured and leaned down. She stared at me, astonished, as I closed my eyes and bent my head towards hers. I could feel her breath on my cheek a moment before I captured her lips with mine. Oh, her lips were as soft as I'd remembered. Shocked for a moment, she pressed back before freezing in place, as if remembering who she was. Next thing I knew, her hand was flying into my cheek with a resounding slap.  
  
I stepped back, clutching at my burning cheek. Her eyes were filled with a rage I'd never seen before, and I knew I'd done something terribly wrong. Why couldn't I control myself better?  
  
"Li-san!" she seethed, all spitfire. "What exactly do you think you're doing?!"  
  
"I-I...," I stuttered, trying to assemble a defense, any defense for myself.  
  
"Even if we ignore the point that YOU have a girlfriend and I have a boyfriend, that still goes against the rules of the school system! I don't know what you were thinking, but it's wrong!" She glared daggers at me, and I could see the effort it took her to stay in place like that.  
  
"Well, it works for Daidouji and Hiiragizawa-san...." I knew it was weak, but it was all I could think of. I knew there was no way to defend my actions - they were completely nonsensical - but I couldn't just stand against her onslaught without defending myself in the slightest.  
  
She growled. "It may work for them, but they have a romantic interest in each other. There is NONE between us. Nothing. You don't like me, and I don't like you. Even if I might have, I don't think I can anymore." Her words were tinged with an ice so cold it burned.  
  
"But you don't mind kissing Kaplan," I muttered angrily, so quietly I thought she couldn't hear. I was wrong - maybe being so angry intensified her senses.  
  
"I should have known! This is all just some sort of contest between you and David-kun, isn't it?! You can't let him get the better of you in anything, hm? Well, forget that! I'm leaving! You can't keep me in here one more day!" She swung around and shoved past Daidouji, who'd appeared suddenly at the entrance, looking shocked.  
  
I simply stared ahead with a glazed look for who knows how long, arm outstretched. Daidouji left after a bit, shaking her head, I think. Hiiragizawa peaked in and saw me statue-like, and for once his eyes weren't gleaming with mischief. The janitor even walked by to see why the lights were on, and still I stood frozen. Finally the old man came up to me and asked, "You goin' home, son?" I blinked.  
  
"I...I don't know."  
  
He shook his head, bald spot in the back gleaming in the light. "Well, looks to me like you got woman problems. Better get home and get to workin' on 'em. Standin' here'll do nothin'." With that, he turned around and walked to the door. "You gonna lock up, then?" I nodded mutely. "Good. 'Luck, son." He left, and I roused myself from my stance, muscles aching after being held still for so long. As if in a daze, I looked around, and my eye caught on my desk.  
  
My empty, lonely, emotionless desk. I yanked open the top drawer and grabbed the stapler in a sweaty fist. I looked at it for a second, then threw it against the wall with all my strength. It thunked and made a good sized dent, then fell to the floor and opened, scattering staples on the floor. I stared at them before collecting my things and leaving the room, locking up, and heading out to my car; heading out into the cold, quiet night.  
  
TBC.  
  
Here's a translation of the odder Japanese used in this story (that I can remember).  
  
douzo = 'here you go'  
  
onee-san = older sister  
  
imouto = younger sister  
  
oishii = delicious  
  
itadakemasu = 'I'll have some'  
  
konbanwa = good evening  
  
ogenki desu ka = 'are you feeling well?'  
  
douitashimashite = you're welcome  
  
You can probably assume various other words from their context, like curse words I'm too lazy to go through and find....  
  
C-Mage: Okay, so who wants to kill me?! ^.^' Well, we were planning to do it sooner or later, and I really figured we ought to get the plot going. What? You think the story was fine without this? Posh! ^.~  
  
T.Anjel: ooOoh Syaoran-kun's in troubleee!!! 


	15. Sakura's Many Lows

T.Anjel: Hope no one's losing interest. =0  
  
C-Mage: Sorry this took so long, minna-san! *hides* Call it procrastination in the extreme.... -.-' Many thanks to the reviewers. Thanks you all, we have over 300 reviews! *o* That's...a lot per chapter! XD Amazing. Doumo arigatou gozaimasu! *glomps all readers* And let's all rejoice that I have Word back, because Works sucks.... *glowers at Works* *readers sweatdrop* Or...not? *wince*  
  
Disclaimers: All CCS characters belong to CLAMP.  
  
Summary: Sakura gets hurt and recuperates...somewhat. ^.^'  
  
Learn to Love Me – Chapter 15 – Sakura's Many Lows  
  
I thundered out of the school, not even able to comprehend Li-san's actions a few minutes ago. He kissed me! What right did that man have to kiss me? I was in a fit of anger that I wasn't used to, the emotion so overwhelming that I began to cry. I made it safely to the parking lot and into the driver's seat of Tomoyo-chan and my shared car. I stuck the key in the ignition and hastily wiped my tears away, taking a couple of deep breaths. Calm down, Sakura, I told myself.  
  
Tear residue fogged my vision, and I waited another minute for it to clear. When I didn't have the patience to wait anymore, I pressed down on the accelerator and zoomed out of the lot. I was breathing heavily, and I knew I wasn't acting like myself.  
  
I hated that Li-san did this to me. My feelings weren't a toy to be played around with.  
  
In my anger, I accelerated more, feeling the urge to get home and take a nice, long, hot shower. "Shit!" I yelled at myself as I sped over a pothole, causing Tomoyo-chan's now cold morning coffee to spill over my lap as it escaped the feeble cup holder. I blindly reached at the glove compartment for tissues but couldn't find any. My eyes left the road for one second to see if there were any tissues. Before I could take one, I heard a screech. My eyes quickly went to the rearview mirror, and I saw a red sports car out of control, speeding towards me with no remorse. I instinctively swerved to my left, and all went black.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I woke up in a haze, but my stiff body belied any thoughts I had of being comfy in my own bed. My first task was to drag open heavy eyelids. When I did, artificial light pounded at my brain. I opened them again slowly, adjusting my eyes to the white room and bright light.  
  
"Sakura!" I heard worried voices cry in unison.  
  
I tried to speak, but found my mouth was completely dry and cracked. I felt a cold glass held against my lips. I gladly choked down a slow stream of water as it struggled to trickle down my tight throat.  
  
Mouth less dry, I looked around the white room, trying to remember how I'd gotten here. I vaguely remembered a red sports car, pain, and being moved around on a stretcher. I looked at my left arm, and a thin, clear cord sprouted from my wrist. In my haze I recognized it as an IV. My other arm was wrapped in a cast. The hospital, then. I'd been in a crash.  
  
"Daijoubu?" Tomoyo-chan asked, concern lining her pale face and violet eyes.  
  
"Hai," I said. I smiled weakly. "Gomen." I found it hard to speak with my mouth still a little dry.  
  
"Don't you ever do that again, kaijuu," 'Nii-chan scolded, using my old nickname. He was standing next to 'Tou-san at the foot of the bed, while Tomoyo-chan sat next to me. He looked extremely relieved.  
  
I nodded and glanced at the clock hanging over the door. It was just past eleven. From the closed curtains, I assumed it was evening.  
  
"I'm tired," I announced quietly. A three-way glance was exchanged before 'Tou-san and 'Nii-chan left the room, leaving Tomoyo-chan. I was glad. I closed my eyes, wanting a rest from the bright lights that were already becoming overpowering.  
  
"I didn't tell him, but he'll find out soon enough," Tomoyo-chan said softly. I opened my eyes to look at her as she took a seat by my bed. She didn't need to tell me whom she was talking about, but I asked anyway.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Li-san," she replied knowingly. "He was worried about you, after your...fight." She looked at my speculatively.  
  
"I'm fine," I answered back quickly, like a stubborn child. I stared at the ceiling.  
  
I could've sworn I heard Tomoyo-san smile. "You know, you've only been working with us for a few months. It's amazing that Li-san's developed such...strong feelings for you in that short time." She sighed. "What he did was wrong, but you need to forgive him, Sakura-chan." I wanted to argue back but had no energy to...or at least that's what I told myself.  
  
"Li-san's a good man," she said. "But he's lonely."  
  
I turned to look at her, curious despite myself.  
  
"He lives alone, eats alone, and works alone. That Meiling is the only person that really consistently bothers for his attention. Look, Sakura-chan. Li-san may have just expressed himself in the wrong way. It's been a while since he's worked with someone so closely."  
  
"What are you trying to say?" I asked. Tomoyo-san sounded like she was speaking riddles.  
  
"He needs a good friend," she replied.  
  
"He can get plenty of friends!" I argued.  
  
"It's hard," Tomoyo-san said. "He grew up where he was constantly training, being disciplined, and working. His social life, even as a child, consisted of only his family. Why do you think he became a teacher?" I shrugged at the rhetorical question. "He wanted to be around people. Even if he didn't interact with them, he just needed their presence there." Tomoyo-san smiled. "You have to understand, Sakura-chan, that he just needs a good friend." She laughed lightly. "I guess he just didn't know how to tell you."  
  
I smiled weakly. A friend? The word sounded dull to my ears. I felt my past anger towards Li-san ebb away, nonetheless.  
  
"I'll stop by tomorrow after school ends," Tomoyo-san promised me, breaking through my thoughts.  
  
"Okay," I said. "Thanks." She gave me her usual smile and a wave and headed towards the door. Curious, I called out, "Tomoyo-san?"  
  
"Hai?" She turned slightly.  
  
"How'd you learn all that? Li-san doesn't seem like the type to...open up."  
  
Tomoyo-san laughed. "Oh, that? Well, you'd be amazed at what Eriol- san can learn when he's determined enough." She gave a wry smile and slipped out the door. After the door swung closed, I relaxed into the already dented pillow. That's right, Li-san, I thought. Let's be friends.  
  
Just friends.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I woke up a little before noon the next day. A few check-ups and some waiting later, I was told I'd be released as soon as someone came to get me. I'd have to come back later for more check-ups, though, and not overexert myself.  
  
I read a couple of magazines and watched television until four, when I saw the door open. "Tomoyo-san! I have good news...." I paused when I realized it was Li-san at the door.  
  
"Oh...Li-san," I said, barely able to look him in the face just yet, cheeks burning.  
  
He stood nervously at the door. "I just wanted to know if you were okay."  
  
I nodded. "Come in," I urged, sitting up in the bed.  
  
Li-san hesitated before coming in and seating himself a few feet from the bed. He came with a basket of fruits. How sweet.  
  
He stared at his fiddling fingers. I kept quiet, not wanting to break his train of thought.  
  
I jumped slightly when he started to speak abruptly, "I just...wanted to apologize for yesterday." He looked up at me, amber eyes beseeching me not to interrupt. "I wasn't thinking properly, and I was just completely out of it. It was not in my place to do what I did, Ms. Kinomoto. If I hadn't done what I did...." He looked solemnly at my arm.  
  
"Oh! You're not at all at fault for this," I quickly said, gesturing to my arm. "I wasn't paying attention to the road!"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Why?" I repeated slowly. "I was looking for a tissue in the glove compartment," I said. "That's all."  
  
He didn't look convinced but didn't push the subject further, either. "I'm really sorry. Whether you want to continue to work with me is completely your decision, and I would understand if you move to another district. I moved a working relationship to somewhere it shouldn't be. Please accept my apology."  
  
I held still, idly thinking over his apology. It sounded like Li-san prepared that all day, as with all things. "Yes...of course," I replied. "It's just...I'm sorry, too."  
  
Li-san looked surprised.  
  
"I overreacted, and I was being emotional. All this that happened to me," I again indicated my arm, "is my fault. Let's just put this behind us, Li-san." It all sounded like some cheesy line from an old movie, but I didn't care. I disliked awkward relationships.  
  
"So, friends?" I asked with a smile, extending my left hand as far as it would go.  
  
He thought for a minute before slipping his warm, callused one into mine and clasping it firmly. "Friends," he repeated, voice solemn.  
  
That said, he gave the slightest of smiles, eyes warming, and left with a mumbled "feel better." I sank back into the cushy pillows, content. Now all I had to do was wait for my arm to heal, and things would go back to normal.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The school told me to stay home for a couple of day, as a precaution. I thought I could actually use the break, but I found myself dead bored on the first day off from work. Books, magazines, or the TV didn't interest me. I had no papers to grade, I was contentedly full, I'd already taken a shower, and I found no interesting books in the house.  
  
I groaned to myself as I flopped on the plush couch, eyes closing in frustration. I need a hobby, I thought. I glanced at the clock. It was just past three, unimaginably. Time was going so slowly all of a sudden! And, with the art club today, Tomoyo-san would be later than usual.  
  
"Sakura-chan."  
  
I turned in my seat to find 'Tou-san making his way to the living room.  
  
"Touya and my flight back to Japan is tomorrow," 'Tou-san told me, taking a seat next to me. "With the accident, we plan on staying another week or two...."  
  
"Oh, don't do that!" I exclaimed, interrupting him. "Both of you are bored stiff enough as it is. Go back home and to work, 'Tou-san. Even if you were to stay here just because of me, what would you do? Serve me at my every beck and call?" I scolded 'Tou-san with a pout. "And I'm only going to be home for a few days."  
  
"You need someone to watch over you," he argued back softly.  
  
"Don't worry," I replied. "Tomoyo-chan is here, and I can really do everything else myself." 'Tou-san was about to argue again, but I quickly intercepted. "Please, just go. You've been here long enough to see how I'm doing. I'll call often and tell you how I'm doing. I promise, okay?"  
  
'Tou-san thought for a second before smiling warmly at me. He nodded with an "okay." I hugged him awkwardly from my position, avoiding putting any strain on my arm.  
  
Just then, the doorbell rang. "I got it," 'Tou-san said, getting up from the couch and to the front door. "Oh, hello, David," I heard him say.  
  
I was honestly not in the mood to talk to David, but company was company. He strode into the living room and sat on the matching flower- printed couch across from me.  
  
"Hey," he started with a cocky grin.  
  
"Hi," I replied with not much enthusiasm.  
  
A second passed before he spoke again, "I got great news! I'm going to study abroad in Europe!"  
  
"Wha...Europe? That's great!" I exclaimed a little too awkwardly. Not to sound selfish, but the man didn't even bother to ask me about my arm. And Europe?! This was such random news.  
  
David scratched his head embarrassingly as if he won a contest of some sort. "Well, my father and I came to some little agreement with how long I was going to study for and the payment and everything."  
  
I forced myself to smile, however weakly. What else was I supposed to do?  
  
"Are...you okay, Sakura?" David asked me, peering closely at my face. "You seem a little upset."  
  
"No! I'm fine! It's just...when are you leaving?"  
  
"Maybe a month from now. The school has to find a replacement teacher for me. It's kind of a hassle, but I think this study trip is definitely worth it." He still had that stupid, goofy grin on his face.  
  
"I guess that means we're breaking up," I said with not much remorse. "It...."  
  
"No!" David interrupted gallantly. "I'll call you every day!"  
  
I was at a loss for words.  
  
"C'mon, Sakura! Cheer up! It's going to be a great experience for me!" David exclaimed. "This is the only thing I've ever asked for. Please be happy for me." His voice was wheedling, as if he was trying to sound cute enough to convince me.  
  
I mentally snorted, but nodded. "Okay."  
  
He gave an answering smirk and said, "See you, babe."  
  
"'Bye," I grumbled before he left the room.  
  
"Oh, yeah! How's that arm?" he called from the front door. Before I could open my mouth to shout an answer, he interrupted, "That's good to hear! 'Bye!" And the door slammed shut.  
  
How aggravating that man could be sometimes, I thought to myself. Going to Europe! Now, isn't that a casual idea? My restlessness made my aggravation and sarcasm grow. I grumbled nonsense under my breath. I needed to go out. Even if it was just on the front lawn, I knew it would do me some good.  
  
I hitched myself up off the couch and headed out to the front door.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" 'Nii-chan asked me, peering questioningly from the stairs.  
  
"I'm going to look at the clouds," I replied haughtily and marched out the door.  
  
Frustrating as the day was, I found my feelings cooled by the beautiful fall day. I lay comfortably on the grass and closed my eyes, feeling the wind brush across my exposed skin.  
  
"You could catch a cold if you stayed outside too long," a voice called.  
  
I opened my eyes with a start. I realized I'd fallen asleep when I saw the sun about to set. I rubbed my eyes and saw Tomoyo-chan coming up the front porch.  
  
"What are you doing out here?" she asked with a laugh. She was coming from school.  
  
"Enjoying the scenery," I croaked in my morning voice.  
  
"With your eyes closed obviously," Tomoyo-san said smiling. "Come in, help me make dinner."  
  
I nodded and got up precariously, following Tomoyo-san.  
  
"Oh, and Li-san asked me if you would mind grading homework he collected in class," she said, setting down her bag at the entrance of the kitchen. She flipped through the contents quickly and whipped out a thick folder. She handed it to me. "A little something for you to do while you're healing. Just take it back with you when you're better."  
  
I nodded and held the folder awkwardly in my left hand. How was I supposed to grade things one-handed? I didn't think that had occurred to Li-san.  
  
"I'll take care of dinner; you get started on that homework," Tomoyo- chan said, shooing me off to my room. "It'll take you long enough," she said wryly. I stuck my tongue out at her before striding to my room and sitting at the old desk.  
  
I opened up the folder to see a neat stack of messily written homework. The majority of them were probably done during their lunch period or before they went in the classroom. I smiled at one of the assignments. The kid accidentally turned in his math homework.  
  
I quickly scanned the stack and came upon another little bunch of papers neatly bound with a rubber band. I just about cried at all the handmade get-well cards some of the students made me. Tony and Alex, the troublemakers, had made a card together. The cover had a stick figure that was looking with horror at its stump of a right arm, which was spurting blood. Somehow I didn't think Li-san had checked these before collecting them.  
  
"Get better quick, Ms. Kinomoto," they'd written. "Mr. Li's been in an abnormally bad mood and is giving us too much homework. Come back and help us out!" I giggled. That was certainly true to character for Li-san.  
  
At the bottom of the stack, there was another card, neater by far. On the cover, it had the Japanese calligraphy for "health." I smiled; this could only have come from one person. Holding the card open awkwardly with my fingers, I read, "I'm sorry. Please feel better soon." A corner of my mouth quirked up. Again, how like Li-san.  
  
I lightly touched the calligraphy on the cover, before realizing that I only wanted to be Li-san's friend. Trying to shove back the emotions the card had brought out in me, I stacked the cards up haphazardly and shoved them to a corner of my desk. Taking a deep breath to clear my mind and strengthen my resolve, I clutched my grading pen – the one Tomoyo-chan had gotten me when she'd first heard about my wanting to be a teacher – and set to work tackling the daunting stack of homework.  
  
TBC.  
  
C-Mage: Oh, and I'd also like to give out a shout-out to my sister, my one and only, Satsuki-chan. Without her, I'd take a lot longer to write, and the plots of Hooded and Learn to Love Me wouldn't be the same. *grins* Hope you enjoyed it, for all its shortness! .  
  
T.Anjel: sorry... so late and short. =( 


	16. Syaoran's Decision

C-Mage: Well, after a rather long time (though not as long as previously) we have this chapter out! Many thanks for those who have stuck with it this far! I hope we aren't disappointing you! And now, I'm off to camp for a few weeks. Have fun without me!  
  
T.Anjel: Hi.  
  
Disclaimer: We don't own CCS—if we did, why wouldn't you be watching this in a terrible dub from Nelvana? O.O  
  
Summary: Sakura returns to school, life goes on, and Syaoran comes to a decision.  
  
Learn to Love Me – Chapter 16 – Syaoran's Decision  
  
Kinomoto's first day back was about a week after she was released from the hospital. While she insisted she was well enough to return to the school (so I heard from Daidouji to Hiiragizawa-san during lunch), Daidouji was adamant that she stay home and get well rested. Finally, Kinomoto had had to drag Daidouji to the doctor's for permission to return to work. And so, with medical support behind her, Kinomoto gleefully made her return one chilled windy Tuesday.  
  
Kinomoto had called me the previous night around ten to inform me of her imminent return. I had, of course, lectured her on her choice of calling hours—what if I'd been sleeping?—but assured her that she'd be able to pick up from where I'd been teaching. I also informed her of the classes' constant inquiries about when she'd be back and that I was quite satisfied they'd stop all the ruckus.  
  
I went to bed that night with mixed feelings. I was glad that she'd return to teaching, as the students clearly missed her (I refused to acknowledge that I did), but what if things were...awkward? I hadn't exactly left on the best note with her. I just hoped my card had helped.  
  
I awoke that Tuesday not feeling that great. In fact, if I were prone to using curse words, I might say that I felt like shit. I hadn't slept well at all, anxiety not allowing my brain it's much needed rest until the wee hours of the morning. After a nice, hot shower and a cup of scalding coffee I felt a bit better, and so I set out for school.  
  
Kinomoto practically skipped into the room a good half-hour after my arrival, though still amazingly early for someone who always seems to be late. Her right arm was still in a sling and in a cast beyond that, and her customary backpack was slung over her left shoulder. She was as dressed up as she ever got, and her hair was left down to hang around her face–no doubt she hadn't wanted the hassle of putting it up one-handed.  
  
She went up to my desk, grinning widely all the way. She promptly pulled out the latest stack of homework I'd left her to grade and plopped it unceremoniously on my desk. "There you are!" she exclaimed. "They were torture to grade, as I'm sure you can imagine"—she wiggled her right hand's fingers at me—"but they're all done." Indeed, the paper on the top was covered in jaggedly drawn numbers and lines, and I almost smiled. Using her left hand must have been hard.  
  
Switching to her native Japanese, she added in a quieter voice, "And thank you for the cards, Li-san. They were lovely." A slight blush colored her cheeks.  
  
"No problem," I answered. "The students wanted to do something for you, anyway."  
  
Kinomoto nodded again and proceeded to yank things from her bag and arrange them on my desk while I took my chair and went back to the corner to observe. Students started to trickle in with the ringing of the first bell, exclaiming over Kinomoto's return. She smiled and chattered with them until the second bell rang and class began.  
  
"I assume you've all noticed that I'm back," she said lightly to the class. "I'm sure Mr. Li told you the circumstances of my absence, and now I'm saddled with this thing." She indicated the sling. "And, since I'm back, I suppose we should start with the lesson!" She turned towards the board, but a few seconds later she turned back. "Mr. Li?"  
  
"Yes?" I asked.  
  
"Could you...assist me?" Her cheeks lit in a blush.  
  
"With what?"  
  
"Er...the board." She coughed self-consciously as the class laughed.  
  
"Ah." Comprehension dawned on me. How was she supposed to write left-handed when she was so terrible at it? I set down my notes as I went to the front. "Do you have notes for me?" I asked when I reached her. She nodded and pulled out a stack of haphazardly written ones from the pile of papers littering my desk. I chuckled when I saw them, but at least they were barely legible. "I'll make copies, then," I said, heading out the room. Kinomoto looked startled, then nodded.  
  
A few minutes later I was back and decided to give her the copies—let's see her decipher her own bad handwriting, I thought wickedly. She blushed as I handed them to her with raised eyebrows, and then she began to lecture the class as I copied them down onto the board. After that first class, we got into a rhythm of it, and by our free period it was down pat.  
  
"You know, I could type these for you and make transparencies," I offered as the last of the students left after second period. "The next two periods are free, and I've got nothing better to do." Kinomoto looked thoughtful before nodding in agreement, and I pulled out my school-issue laptop to start typing. A short while later, I was done and headed off to pick the notes up from the printer and make transparencies, while Kinomoto went to borrow an overhead from the library.  
  
Fifth block saw me back in my corner with my notes, as usual. Inconvenient as it had been, it'd been fun to help Kinomoto. Ah, well, it was better for me to make note of her progress while it was ongoing, instead of struggling to remember it later and miss things, I reasoned with myself.  
  
On the way to the teachers' lounge for lunch, Kinomoto turned to me and said, "Thank you for the overhead idea, Mr. Li. I'm sure it's much easier than you having to write all my notes on the board." She tried to stifle her giggling behind her left hand.  
  
"It was nothing," I returned, holding back a smile. "Though, if you can have your notes for the next day done by eight o'clock at night, I'm sure I can have transparencies ready for the next day, too."  
  
"Oh, would you?" she cried happily as we rounded the corner into the teachers' lounge.  
  
"Of course," I answered, just as her attention was drawn to Daidouji and Hiiragizawa-san.  
  
"Konnichiwa, Tomoyo-san, Eriol-kun," she said as she settled into the nearest chair and pulled out her lunch. It was a thermos, instead of her normal Japanese bento, and when she saw my look she said, "Well, I can't really use chopsticks left-handed, can I?"  
  
I nodded thoughtfully as I sat down and pulled out my own lunch, haphazardly made that morning in my grouchy state. "I suppose you're terrible enough with a spoon, though," I muttered to myself, edging away from where her left elbow jutted out awkwardly. Obviously she'd heard me, because she turned to scowl at me briefly before returning to Daidouji and Hiiragizawa-san.  
  
"So, Kinomoto-san, how has your first day back been so far?" asked Hiiragizawa-san pleasantly. "The students aren't bothering you too much, are they?"  
  
"Oh, no, they're fine," answered Kinomoto between slurps. "In fact, even Li-san's being civil to me." I opened my mouth to retaliate, but Hiiragizawa-san cut me off.  
  
"Indeed? I suspect that's just guilt. He was in quite a state after your crash." I stared hard at my lunch, feeling my face rise in temperature and Kinomoto's emerald eyes watching me.  
  
"Hm," was all she said in response. Startled, I glanced up slightly, wondering what she was thinking. Wasn't she mad at me at all? Bitter? After all, I was pretty sure I was the reason she'd been in that crash, not that I was trying to be self-important or anything.... I sighed in defeat. Perhaps I shouldn't even try to figure out what went on in her female head. Hadn't I decided long since that they were confusing beyond all thought?  
  
Lunch progressed rather normally after that, as did the rest of the day, and I soon found myself facing Kinomoto in the empty classroom. To me it felt a bit uncomfortable, but she gave no sign of it as she hurriedly gathered her things together one-handed and set out for the door. "Better get started on those notes if I'm to have them done by eight, huh?" she said before leaving. "See you later." A wave over her left shoulder and she was gone.  
  
I shook my head. So much for begging for forgiveness, I thought. I dodged a few desks on my way out, turning off the lights with a flick of my fingers on the switch. The door swung shut with a gentle click and was soon locked behind me as I walked down the hallway, pulling my coat around me tighter in anticipation of the cooler air outside.  
  
As soon as I was back at my homely apartment I made myself a mug of black coffee. I took a sip while I settled in my chair to begin waiting for Kinomoto and made a face at the bitter taste. I didn't even know why I drank the disgusting thing, just that I'd somehow gotten addicted to it while I was in college, where I'd been a student struggling against demands for cash and time.  
  
Looking back on college, it really hadn't been that bad. My family had been content to leave me pretty much alone, and even Meiling hadn't forced herself upon me, mindful of my study needs. I hadn't had many friends, but I was fine with that—I'd always been a loner, clear back to elementary school in China, where Meiling had pestered me all the time and always made me lunch.  
  
I smiled at the memory. Even though she'd insisted on feeding me, her cooking really was wonderful. Although—my mouth twitched—her cake baking skills were lamentable. They hadn't been able to scrape the charred remains of her last effort off of the pan, if I remembered correctly. The brand-new mold in the shape of a small wolf (pun intended) had had to be thrown away, and all the while Meiling stood in the background, fuming over how she'd just turned up the temperature a little bit....  
  
I sighed. Meiling. She hadn't been too bad during childhood, tagging along after me. It'd been some comfort in the void that'd been my life. When we'd gotten older, however, she'd gotten more possessive over me, forcing engagement on me through my mother. How she'd managed to wrap the formidable woman around her finger was beyond me, but it was obvious that she had—how else had she gotten permission to follow me to America and coerce me into marriage?  
  
I sat in thought like that for a while, until eventually my virtually untouched coffee turned cold and a knock was heard at the door. I jerked upright. A look at the time told me it was nearing seven, and I hadn't gotten any work done. Feeling the mood I'd had this morning settle upon me once more, I got up and yanked open the door. Kinomoto's eyes stared back at me, and I ushered her in.  
  
"How are you?" I asked, closing the door behind her.  
  
"Pretty good," she replied. "Here are the notes. I hope you don't have too hard a time reading them." She quirked a smile while holding a sheaf of papers out to me, which I placed on my chair.  
  
We stood silently for a while, the air full of things to be said between us. When Kinomoto made as if to leave, I quickly asked, desperate for her to stay longer, "How's Kaplan?"  
  
She blinked at the question, obviously as startled as I at what had popped out of my mouth. She shrugged, "He's doing okay, so I hear. He's gotten a girlfriend over in Europe. I suppose 'out of sight, out of mind' rings true, doesn't it?" Her mouth twisted slightly, as if she'd bitten onto something bitter.  
  
Thinking it was as good an opportunity as any, I ventured, "Um...about our fight...." I winced as I trailed off.  
  
Her beautiful face marred itself in a frown while she answered. "Oh, that. Li-san, if you don't mind, could we just be friends? I hope it's not too much to ask, but I really don't think pursuing a relationship between us would be a good idea, okay?" Before I could do anything but open my mouth stupidly, she glanced at her watch. "Oh, I'd better get going!" As she bustled out the door she smiled at me sweetly. "Thanks again for this. It's a lot of help."  
  
I nodded mutely at her retreating back, dumbstruck. After all that'd happened I guess I was lucky to have gotten the chance to be her friend—she could have asked for a change in teachers, if she'd wanted. I'd just have to keep on better behavior. And what was with my asking about Kaplan? I didn't even like the guy! And to hear that he'd left Kinomoto.... It wasn't a surprise on his part. He didn't play fair in anything, even love.  
  
Shaking myself from my musing, I decided I'd better get make another mug of coffee and get a start on things. I had a bit of time to make up for, and making sense of Kinomoto's abysmal handwriting certainly wasn't going to make things any better.  
  
Meiling was waiting in the teachers' lounge the next day as I rounded the corner with Kinomoto. It was as if she'd read my thoughts from the previous night about her Chinese lunches, even down to force-feeding me like I wanted to Kinomoto. She was still fumbling ridiculously with her spoon, so much so that, between easing bits of delicious Chinese cuisine into my mouth, Meiling shot horrified looks at her.  
  
The room was filled with an odd sort of tension. Kinomoto was too immersed in balancing spoonfuls of soup to notice anything out of the ordinary, but Daidouji clearly was trying to keep from giggling at how I was being spoon-fed, and Hiiragizawa-san had a lazy smirk crossing his face. I glared at him sharply, and he chuckled in retaliation.  
  
"So, Mr. Li," began Hiiragizawa-san, plainly sticking to English in case Meiling wasn't fluent in Japanese, "would you care to introduce us to your charming dinner partner?" Meiling blushed at the praise and set down the chopsticks; I shot Hiiragizawa-san another glare as I slurped up my dim sum and turned to face the three onlookers.  
  
"This is Li Meiling." I gestured at Meiling, who drew herself up in an attempt to look impressive, which I'm sure didn't make up for how she'd just been shoving food into my mouth. "And this is Daidouji Tomoyo and Hiiragizawa Eriol." I paused when I hit Kinomoto. "And you already know Ms. Kinomoto." Meiling's garnet eyes slanted briefly into slits before we went back to beaming.  
  
"I'm his fiancée," she said, shaking hands. Daidouji's eyes widen slightly, but Hiiragizawa-san didn't seem fazed in the slightest. Figured. The man probably had my house bugged or something. And Kinomoto just sat there, brow barely furrowed as she looked at Meiling, then shrugged and went back to her soup.  
  
"Ah, so you're getting married," stated Hiiragizawa-san, returning to delicately eating his food.  
  
"Yes," answered Meiling, so pleased she forgot to continue feeding me. I picked up the chopsticks and resumed eating my lunch, savoring every bite. Meiling really was a great cook.  
  
"When's the wedding?" asked Daidouji, looking mildly curious.  
  
"Oh, that hasn't really been decided yet. It'll have to be in China, of course, and we all know Syaoran has a busy schedule." She leaned down to kiss my cheek, and I barely refrained from wrinkling my nose in disgust. Couldn't she see I was eating?  
  
Hiiragizawa-san nodded absently, but his eyes glinted at me mischievously. The gods knew what he'd do for entertainment, and it seemed I was in his sights today. I swallowed, hard.  
  
Things were quiet for a few minutes, albeit awkwardly. For a while there I actually thought he'd let the rest of my lunchtime go uninterrupted, but it seems he had other thoughts. Just as I was finishing up the last of my lunch, he had to go and open his trap.  
  
"What are you going to do about the self-defense club, Mr. Li?"  
  
"Hm?" Kinomoto and I both perked up at this. What did anything have to do with the self-defense club?  
  
"I mean, what with Ms. Kinomoto's injury, you'll be short an instructor his Friday." He nodded towards Kinomoto's sling. "You wouldn't expect her to fight with her arm like that, would you?" Kinomoto's face fell; I could tell she hadn't thought about that aspect of things at all. As it was, doing the club the previous Friday had been hard enough with just me, and we'd ended up adjourning early.  
  
As much as I hated to admit it, Hiiragizawa-san had a point. Now, why would this be so torturous for me? After all, the devious Hiiragizawa Eriol never did anything unless there was an upside for him, and more often than not it was in baiting people.  
  
"Won't you need a substitute assistant?" he asked, looking at me from over his silver spectacles. "What about that...David Kaplan? Didn't he help out once?" I growled low in my throat, ignoring that he was safely out of the country, but Kinomoto shook her head.  
  
"No, he's in Europe...." Her face soured briefly. "Who else do you know, Mr. Li?" she asked me.  
  
"He knows me," said a voice haughtily over my shoulder. I groaned. Meiling. Of course! "I'd be more than willing to help out, and I'm sure I'm much better than you, anyway. I've been trained by the Li Clan, after all." She finished this with a flick of her raven hair and glared a challenge at Kinomoto.  
  
Kinomoto, however, stood down. "I suppose...as long as I could watch. I wouldn't want to get too far behind on what my students were doing. Is that all right, Mr. Li?" I nodded, helpless. But it appeared Hiiragizawa- san wasn't yet done inflicting needless pain, as he soon continued.  
  
"Didn't Ms. Kinomoto have a match to show her worthiness in front of the students?" inquired Hiiragizawa-san politely. My blood ran cold, and I nodded jerkily. He grinned his Cheshire cat grin. "Then, shouldn't Ms. Li be afforded the same honor?" Meiling's eyes lit up.  
  
"That's a brilliant idea, Mr. Hiiragizawa!" Meiling rounded on me and glomped onto me. "Please say you will, Syaoran, please!" As I couldn't very well say no, especially with Kinomoto looking at me sternly in the background, I nodded. And, as I did so, Meiling—there is no other word for it—squealed and started kissing my face madly. I tried to pull back, but Meiling would have nothing of it and wouldn't release me until I'd felt a bit of her tongue around my mouth.  
  
Finally I managed to pull away and wipe off my mouth in disgust. "Meiling, it's not that big a deal," I whispered to her, trying to get her to calm down. Honestly, this woman had the immaturity of a young teenager.  
  
"No big deal?" she exclaimed. "No big DEAL?! I've been trying to get you to treat me as an equal in martial arts forever!" She pouted momentarily before flinging herself back onto me again. "I'm so glad!" The bell rang, and she started. "Oh, you'd better get going! I'll see you tonight, all right? For a celebration dinner." She winked at me as she left, and it was then that I realized the others had left me. Figures. The display of Meiling kissing me must have been too much for them after having just eaten. Even my own stomach was growling irritably.  
  
My mail was waiting for me when I got home, and amidst the normal junk and bills there was a package. From China, no less. Now, that was odd. It wasn't every day I got something from my dearest, eldest sister in China. I absentmindedly wandered up to my apartment, not even noticing that the door was unlocked. The door opened to a waft of heavenly cooking, and I glanced up to see Meiling cooking away in my kitchen, as cool as you please. Wait. Meiling?  
  
"How'd you get a key?" I asked after I kicked off my shoes, dumping my normal load of things on my chair and going to my bedroom to change, grabbing a paring knife on the way.  
  
"Oh, I asked the super for one. He even said he'd make a copy for me. Isn't that nice?" She went off into girlish giggles while I disappeared behind my bedroom door. A copy? I'd have to talk to my super about that. It was disturbing enough knowing Meiling was in the U.S. at all, let alone had free range of my apartment.  
  
I plopped down on my bed. What I wouldn't give to take a nice, relaxing nap. It seemed my head had been aching constantly since lunch. Maybe I'd take some of the medicine I had in my bathroom for the sake of having it. Sighing, I slit open with package. What on earth would my sister have sent to me?  
  
An engagement ring, it turned out. I sat, stunned, staring at the ring in the little velvet box. While it was against Chinese tradition to use rings, my family had started Westernizing to go with the times, and this was clearly my mother's. The diamond nestled in the smooth gold was nothing to take lightly; I was sure any girl who saw it would faint on the spot. But why did my sister send it to me?  
  
There was only one thing for it—Meiling. I moaned and fell over onto my bed. Why did she insist on messing with my life so much? If she weren't here, I'd be happy being grouchy with Kinomoto. Or, worse yet, I might even have a chance with her!  
  
Just then, Meiling creaked open the door. "Syaoran, what are you doing?" I snapped the case shut and promptly sat on it, but I was certain she'd seen it. There was something about the smug look on her face that told me she had. "Are you all right, dear?"  
  
"I'm fine," I muttered. "I was just changing."  
  
"Oh, that's all right. Now, just come out and I'll set the table...." I quickly slid the case under the mattress when she'd turned her back and followed her out. She'd found a rickety card table somewhere and had it set up in what served as a foyer. On the kitchen counter she'd stacked proper Chinese dishware, presumably ones she's brought with her, as mine were barely serviceable for normal fare, and next to the china were plates full of steaming dishes. My mouth watered at the thought of dishes that I hadn't had properly prepared in years. She definitely knew my weakness.  
  
"Now, Syaoran, you just sit right on down, and I'll have everything ready in no time." And, sure enough, a few minutes later the table was set, wine was poured, and the dishes were ranged between us. "To us," she said, lifting her wineglass in a toast. I obliged and clinked mine against hers, taking a swallow of the wine. It really wasn't too bad. She must have spent a lot of my family's money on this meal.... After all, she didn't work over here. She was fully financed by the Li Clan, and her mission was to bring me in for marriage and eventual return to China.  
  
Things progressed quite nicely until dessert. Each dish was as good as the last, if not better, and the dim sum (forever and always my favorite) was to die for. But, just as she was getting up to bring over a scrumptious-looking chocolate pie, presumably bought, as she couldn't bake to save her life, there was a knock on the door. I glanced at my watch and started to get up, seeing that it was probably Kinomoto. How many people visited me, anyway?  
  
Meiling beat me to the door. "Hello? Li res—" She stopped abruptly when she saw that it was Kinomoto, and her lips pressed together tightly. "Syaoran, there's someone at the door." And she turned around and stormed back to the kitchen, ending short of slamming the door in Kinomoto's apprehensive face.  
  
I moved over to the door. "Sorry about that," I muttered, nodding towards Meiling.  
  
Kinomoto nodded in understanding. "It's all right. I can see why she wouldn't like me...." She blushed. "Anyway, I just came to drop off the notes. I'll see you tomorrow." And before I could say anything, she was off down the hall. I plopped the notes down onto my chair, covered in the schoolwork I hadn't even touched, and looked at Meiling. She looked suspicious for a second, but then she happily brought the cake over.  
  
"And before you even ask, Syaoran, I didn't bake it."  
  
All too soon, Friday was upon me, and the self-defense club along with it. I trudged to school in the moodiest of moods and was rather harsher with Kinomoto than was warranted. But, however slowly the day went by, it was eventually four o'clock and time to prepare for the club. Kinomoto came into help with the mats, and then I went to change. When I came back out, students were trickling in, calling greetings to one another and Kinomoto.  
  
At 4:16, Meiling ran in, looking rather flushed. She was dressed in tight-as-spandex clothing, and her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. At least she wasn't in her traditional Li clothing. That would just get the students to laugh at her, not respect her.  
  
"You're late," I said coolly, glaring at her. Students tittered; I suppose it was fun for them to watch someone else being admonished, for once. She winced.  
  
"I'm sorry! I forgot!" She quickly slipped out of her shoes at the edge of the mat and came over, looking at me imploringly.  
  
"That's no excuse. Tardiness is not something to allow of oneself." She nodded stonily. She must have heard this thousands of times from the Clan elders, but never from me. I made sure she was properly sorry before switching focus to the students. "What are you waiting for? Warm up!" Meiling and I joined in, and Kinomoto tried to the best of her abilities, shooting me a wry grin. It must be hard for her to sit at the sidelines, but it would have been harder for her to be at home, away from the fun.  
  
"This is Li Meiling," I said when the slower of the students had finished. "You may all call her Ms. Li. She's been generous enough to help out while Ms. Kinomoto can't, so be sure not to waste her time." I heard murmured signs of agreement. "And, since Ms. Kinomoto did a practice match with me, she'll do one with me. All right?" This time the noise was louder, and there were even a few cheers.  
  
I allowed myself the tiniest of smiles as I faced off against Meiling, going into a defensive pose. "Ready?"  
  
"Ready," she replied, sliding into a pose across from me.  
  
I nodded. "Ms. Kinomoto, if you would tell us when to begin?" She blinked from where she'd been slumped against the wall and sat at attention.  
  
"Begin."  
  
I let Meiling throw the first punch. She always had been aggressive, I remembered. I shortly switched to offense, kicking at her legs and chest. With Kinomoto watching as a referee, I couldn't fall back on simple defense as I'd done in our first fight. I knew she wouldn't stand for something she saw as so unfair, so I had to give this fight my all.  
  
Soon I was engrossed in the fight, kicking and jabbing as I'd been doing it since I was out of the cradle. Which, I thought, was almost true. The Li Clan had been adamant about training their young in martial arts since they were old enough to walk, so that it was thoroughly ingrained in their heads.  
  
In due time the fight wore down, and Meiling and I were covered in a shimmer of sweat. I slammed my fist to a stop before her nose, stopping the fight with the same move I'd used to defeat Kinomoto previously, panting heavily.  
  
"Mr. Li wins," proclaimed Kinomoto, giving a standing ovation while the rest of the students applauded. The students seemed ecstatic to know that I'd won. Maybe not everyone hated me, as I'd been growing to suspect. We turned to bow at each other and the class, and then I grabbed my water bottle and took a swig.  
  
"Not bad, Meiling."  
  
She flashed her teeth at me. "Good to know."  
  
"Not as good as Kinomoto," I muttered under my breath in Japanese. Kinomoto glanced quizzically at me, but I turned aside.  
  
We spent the rest of the time going through drills as we normally did, Meiling helping to demonstrate while Kinomoto walked through and fixed stances and throws. By the end it seemed the students were okay with Meiling, if not accepting her with open arms, and all were eager to know when Kinomoto would finally get her cast off and be able to return.  
  
"I'll be back, soon, I promise," she said, laughing as they left. When the door closed behind the last one, she came over to me. Meiling had got to use the restroom in the lockers. Quietly, she asked, "Was I really better than Li-san?"  
  
I nodded as I poured water on my head, knowing I'd be freezing when I hit the colder air outside. "Yes," I assured her. "Why wouldn't you be?" She looked flustered, but then Meiling came back out.  
  
"Syaoran! Let's go." She tugged on my arm insistently. I shrugged at Kinomoto and relinquished myself to Meiling, all the while thinking about how happy she'd looked to hear my praise.  
  
The days and weeks melted away into a blur of cold and ice and too many blankets to count. Before long, winter was fully upon us, and everything that went with it. Daidouji was more insistent about the dance Kinomoto and I had pledged ourselves to so long ago, and Meiling was still as persistent as ever. Kinomoto still acted as if she only wanted to be my friend, if that, and I began to ponder.  
  
Why not just do as the Clan and Meiling wanted? I wasn't holding out for anything. The one person I'd ever taken an interest in outside of casual life was dead-set on being nothing more personal than friends, and I could always talk to the Clan about staying in America, at least for a few years.  
  
And so it was on one cold, stormy winter's night that I was sitting on my bed, contemplating the engagement ring my sister had sent me, and decided to marry Meiling.  
  
TBC.  
  
C-Mage: Ah, the plot thickens. I wonder what on earth could happen next?!  
  
T.Anjel: Oh yeah. Finally. =] 


	17. Sakura's Snow Storm

T.Anjel: yay. chapter 17.  
  
C-Mage: Homework. That explains everything. . '  
  
Disclaimer: All belongs to Clamp. Blah. Blah. Blah.  
  
Summary: Sakura and Syaoran go out and get caught in unusual circumstances.  
  
Learn to Love me - Chapter 17 - Sakura's Snow Storm  
  
I woke up late on Sunday, completely content with the long hours of sleep. I smiled drowsily and heaved myself out of bed. After 'Nii-chan and Otou-san returned to Japan a couple of weeks ago, the house felt more empty but serene. It was back to just Tomoyo-san and me.  
  
"Sakura-chan! Is that you?" Tomoyo-san called from the first floor.  
  
"Yeah, I'm awake," I yelled back, exiting my room and plodding down the stairs in my fuzzy house slippers.  
  
"Li-san called about twenty minutes ago. I told him I would tell you to call him back when you woke up," Tomoyo-san informed me. She sat casually on the couch, wrapped in a blanket and reading some thick book I didn't recognize.  
  
I nodded and went over to use the kitchen phone. I dialed his number, and within the second ring a low grunt answered.  
  
"Moshi moshi, Li-san!" I greeted chirpily. "You called?" I settled in at the kitchen table, resting my right arm on it. Just the day before, I'd gone to the hospital to have the cast removed, but it was still weak.  
  
It took a second before Li-san replied. "Yes, um, I was wondering if you were doing anything today."  
  
I quickly racked my brain. "Nope."  
  
"Do you think you can meet with me today?" His voice came out cool and casual.  
  
"Uh...Li-san," I mumbled. I knew I told him that I just wanted to be friends, and he was already asking me out on a date. "I don't think that's a very good...."  
  
"It's not a date, if that's what you're thinking," Li-san quickly cut in. I felt my face flush up in embarrassment. Thank goodness we didn't have videophones yet. "It's that we needed to talk about the winter dance and get preparations started soon...." He trailed off.  
  
"Oh, right!" I exclaimed, snapping my fingers and quickly regretting so as it shot jolts of pain up my right arm. I grimaced. "The dance. I completely forgot. Right... where do you want to meet, exactly?"  
  
"There's a small café near the school called Flamingo's. Do you know where it is?" Li-san asked.  
  
"Uh, yes... I think I do...." I slapped myself on the forehead. My words were falling out of my mouth so clumsily. Li-san must think I'm some nervous freak. "When do you want...to...uh... to meet?" I lightly banged my head on the wall. What was wrong with me?  
  
"Is twelve fine with you?"  
  
"Yeah...yes. Yes! It's fine," I stuttered, ready to strangle myself.  
  
"Okay, then. I'll see you then," he said and hung up.  
  
I put the phone back on the receiver and moaned inwardly. What in the world was wrong with me? After a couple of exchanged words with the grumpy teacher I'd start falling apart! I trudged back upstairs to get ready.  
  
Fifteen minutes to twelve, I was ready to go, dressed in a light turtleneck, jeans, and a down jacket. "I'm meeting up with Li-san, and I'm taking the car," I called to Tomoyo-san, who was still deep in her book. She gave a small flick of her hand, motioning for me to get out of here. "I'll bring you back a cake."  
  
She gave a thumbs-up sign.  
  
I smiled and left. I quickly bundled up my jacket closer to me. Wind was howling; snow was beginning to come down in thick sheets. A blizzard? I wondered. I'd never heard anything about it. With a cold shrug, I slipped into the car, warmed up the engine, and headed to the café. It was easier to drive with the smaller strap-on cast the hospital gave me to use for a couple of more weeks. It was for some support and strength while I got mine back.  
  
With all the snow, I got there a little late and found Li-san already sitting there, sipping a mug of hot coffee.  
  
"Sorry I'm late," I huffed, taking a seat next to him. He had a round table right by the window. I took off my jacket and rested it on the back of the chair.  
  
"Would you like anything to drink?" he asked as a waitress approached us.  
  
"I'll have a hot chocolate, please," I ordered.  
  
"Whipped cream?" the young girl asked.  
  
I shook my head, and the she left without another word.  
  
"So about the dance," I started off, taking out a pad and pen from my bag. "Date?"  
  
"I was thinking a Friday. The Friday before the holiday break," Li-san said.  
  
I nodded and jotted it down. "That's about a month from now." I looked at Li-san, who stared into his cup of coffee. He looked so calm and at ease, and I had a sudden urge to just touch his face and whip the strands of hair away from his lowered eyes.  
  
Hello, Sakura. Snap out of it. And I did once Li-san looked up from his coffee and into my eyes. My heart skipped a beat. Friends. We're just friends, I reminded myself before giving him a smile.  
  
"It'll be in the gym, right?" I asked.  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Well," I thought aloud, gnawing at the tip of my pen. "The students wouldn't want to go to some school party in a gym...."  
  
"We have no choice in that matter," Li-san argued.  
  
"I know, but with the budget that the school's giving us on the dance, we're going to have to think of a way to sort of make the gym not look like the gym. Give it a different feel - do you know what I mean?" I asked.  
  
He nodded. From there, I jumped in with ideas and decorations. Li-san pointed out a couple of things I would miss, and we spoke about the technicalities such as the cost, profit, and hiring a DJ. By the end of two hours, my yellow pad was full of my frantic notes, crumbled and failed ideas fell to the floor forgotten, and the snow outside fell down in thicker sheets obscuring any possibility of having a visibility of more than a foot.  
  
"It's quite the storm," Li-san commented quietly, sipping his second cup of black coffee.  
  
I agreed in the same relaxed tone, watching the snow cover the window of the café. I could barely make out the forms of the unlucky few who got stuck in the storm trying to make their way indoors or to their cars. Blinking myself out of my snowy daze, I turned back to Li-san. "So our plans for the winter dance are pretty much complete," I verified.  
  
Li-san nodded in satisfaction. "And so they are."  
  
I quietly and quickly packed my pad and pen back in my bag, wary of Li-san's gaze. I chewed my lower lip and looked back up at him, expecting him to say something.  
  
Instead, a large man cleared his throat in front of the café, cutting off the serene music and getting the attention of the few customers who made it in through the snow that day. "I am very sorry for this inconvenience," he began, his voice loud and thunderous across the silent café, "but it seems as if we are all snowed in. We are already in fifteen inches of snow, and the storm won't cease for a couple of more hours. You are free to leave whenever you wish, but I wouldn't recommend going out in the storm. We have emergency blankets stored in the back, so please feel free to ask me or any of the other employees. Thank you for your cooperation," he concluded with a small bow of apology.  
  
I glanced worriedly out the window and then back to Li-san. He gave a helpless shrug. What power did he have over Mother Nature?  
  
"It looks like we're stuck here," I mumbled stupidly.  
  
"Are you all right?" he asked. "Would you like a blanket?"  
  
I shook my head. "I'm fine. It's warm in here, and I have my jacket, anyway."  
  
A period of silence passed us slowly. Li-san sat as if thinking about something important and drinking his coffee. I sat there, fiddling with my fingers and wondering if I should try a conversation with the man of very few words.  
  
"Ano...Li-san?" I squeaked. I blushed horribly and cleared my throat. "Li-san?" I repeated, my voice more clear.  
  
He looked at me expectantly.  
  
I was at a blank at what to say. "How is Meiling doing?" I blurted.  
  
Li-san looked surprised, taken aback at my unexpected question. "She's doing well," he replied tersely.  
  
"I see." I finished my cup of hot chocolate, which had turned cold, and braced myself for another long period of uncomfortable silence.  
  
What's really wrong with me? I wondered. I never really have trouble with keeping a light conversation with people. It's just that I worry that whatever I say to Li-san will sound childish and dumb.  
  
Ah, Sakura, what's wrong with you? I berated myself again. I watched Li-san from the corner of my eye and found comfort in his tranquil presence. Have I fallen for this man? I questioned myself. I already went over this a couple of times before, of course, when I was alone in my room. But while watching him and being with him, I felt different. Different in a good way.  
  
I hated to admit it to myself, but I was in love with Li-san. Maybe not completely head over heels for him. Not just yet. But from that aching in my heart when I pushed him away and that unsettling feeling I get when I was around him, I knew I had fallen for him.  
  
I blushed heavily at the thought. It was so wrong to like the man I was working with.  
  
"Are you okay?" Li-san's voice broke through my thoughts. "You look a little...red."  
  
"I'm fine," I quickly replied, turning an even brighter shade of red. I giggled foolishly, trying to laugh it off. "So would you like another coffee?" I asked, trying to cover up for my stupidity. "It's on me. Or would you like some tea? All that caffeine could make you really hyper," I blubbered on and laughed again, scratching the back of my head.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.  
  
"I'm fine, I'm fine," I reassured. Calm down, I told myself. I was really feeling foolish. "How have you been?" I asked, settling for a simple conversation.  
  
"I've been good," he replied. "And you?"  
  
I smiled. "Couldn't be better." I held up my right arm with the small, hard cast. "I'm getting stronger by the day." Li-san gave a small smile in return, and I couldn't help feeling my heart flutter. I felt like such a bubbly high school girl talking to her major crush.  
  
"That's good to hear," he said.  
  
Before I could say anything else, the large manager spoke up front again. "I'm sorry again, but it seems that our heat system froze. It's going to get a lot colder in here in due time, so I would suggest that you take a blanket, bundle up in your jacket, and stay as warm as you can. Again, I'm sorry, but there is nothing that we can do." He walked away to the back of the café through the doors that said 'employees only.'  
  
The café was still warm, and I didn't feel the need for jackets and blankets just yet, but Li-san got up and came back with a blanket.  
  
"They only had one left," he said. "They only had fifteen all together." He looked around to the few people in the café. "The employees must have taken them all." He tossed the blanket to me, which I caught in surprise. "Use it," he commanded. "It's going to get cold."  
  
I kept the blanket on my lap and looked out again to see the window was just a large square of blinding white.  
  
"We're really lucky, Li-san," I murmured, staring at the snow.  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"We got stuck in the storm while we're inside," I replied. "And we got stuck together." Li-san looked startled.  
  
"Oh! I mean," I continued, flustering on at the way he must have interpreted my words. "We got stuck with each other and not alone. We're lucky that we got stuck with company," I said, correcting myself with a small smile. "Don't you think?"  
  
"I wouldn't mind being alone," Li-san said, looking grimly at his empty cup of coffee.  
  
"But you're alone so much," I said, sadly peering at his face. "Everyone needs company sometime or another. Even if the company is silent. To know someone is there beside you is reassuring and makes you feel secure. You can't say you don't want any company, Li-san."  
  
He looked up at me. "Company isn't a very reliable source of output. You can't just express all your inner thoughts and conflicts to people who probably won't be at your side very long. I can't, at least.... Put on your jacket. It's starting to get cold."  
  
I sighed and did as he told me. "I'll be at your side for as long as you need me to," I spoke quietly, pulling my arms through my down jacket sleeves. "What are friends for?" I managed to squeeze out through my teeth with a forced smile. I didn't know why I kept Li-san at arms' length from me, but I couldn't tell him how I felt. Not yet. Not just yet.  
  
Li-san didn't seem to know what to say to me except give a small shrug. We continued to sit across from each other, breaking small conversation here and there.  
  
"Can you believe second quarter is already gone?" I asked, thinking about the students who were all probably cuddled up in their beds at home, cursing the bad weather on a weekend and wondering why it couldn't hold until Monday.  
  
"Years usually go by quickly," Li-san responded. "The children grow up just as fast."  
  
I smiled and lightly punched Li-san on the shoulder. "You're getting all sentimental on me."  
  
"Am not," he argued, turning to look at the raging storm outside. I saw his breath floating out from his nose.  
  
"It's getting really cold in here, isn't it?" I said, seeing my own breath linger for a second in front of me. I took the rough blanket from my lap and shoved it across the table for Li-san. "Use it. My jacket's good enough for me."  
  
He shook his head, refusing to take it from me. I hadn't really expected him to.  
  
"Fine," I said and got up. I walked over to the opposite wall from the window and sat down on the carpeted lining on the floor. I patted the spot next to me. "It'll be easier to share," I said, motioning to the blanket. It took forever for him to get out of his seat and saunter up to where I was, and I had to pat the spot next to me again before he sat down. Clumsily wrapping the blanket around both our shoulders, I cuddled into it and my down jacket.  
  
I closed my eyes in the warmth of the blanket and Li-san's body heat. A power nap, I told myself. Li-san must've said something cause I felt his voice vibrating me ever so slightly, but not enough to bring me out of my soft slumber. This was comfortable, I thought before drifting off into a light sleep, not noticing Li-san shift beside me and lightly wrap an arm around my shoulder.  
  
I woke up when someone gently shook my shoulders. "Kinomoto-san," Li-san repeated, trying to get me up. I groggily lifted my head off his shoulder and opened my eyes, only to be blinded by the bright snow reflecting out of the window across from me. I moaned in displeasure.  
  
"The snow's stopped," Li-san said, hefting me up to my feet. "We can go."  
  
I was dazed and looked around me to find the café empty except for the plump manager who seemed to be ready to leave as well.  
  
"You need a ride?" Li-san asked, folding the blanket sketchily and setting it on the counter.  
  
I shook my head. "No, I have my car."  
  
"That thing?" Li-san asked, pointing out the glass window of the café at my car, parked across the street and completely buried in snow. I moaned.  
  
"Yeah...that thing," I repeated.  
  
"You can pick it up after some of the snow is cleared up," Li-san said, opening the door open. I blocked my face in surprise as a stinging wind slapped my face.  
  
We both walked to a basement parking lot, where Li-san smartly had his car parked. I sank into the passenger's seat and sighed comfortably. Just as Li-san turned on the engine to warm up, my cell phone rang.  
  
"Tomoyo-san?" I answered, having looked at the caller ID.  
  
"Sakura-chan!!! I'm so glad you're all right!" Tomoyo-san yelled uncharacteristically into the phone.  
  
"Yes, Li-san and I are fine," I reassured. "How about you?"  
  
"I was cozy all day," she answered. "So what did you two do, trapped in a small café in the middle of blizzard?" she asked, lowering her voice with a devious snicker.  
  
"I'm going home now, I'll see you in a bit," I snapped, slapping the phone shut and blushing to the roots of my hair.  
  
Li-san looked my way with a confused face. "Something wrong?"  
  
"Nothing," I answered.  
  
"Do you think we can stop by my place for minute?" Li-san asked. "I need to ask you a favor...."  
  
"Sure" was my only reply. I only wondered why Li-san seemed so remorseful in asking a favor from me. We slowly drove to Li-san's apartment and went up to his place in silence. He seemed nervous the whole time, fidgeting with his hands and wiping invisible sweat from his face.  
  
"Sit down," he told me, motioning to the couch in his living room. I did as he commanded.  
  
"What's wrong, Li-san?" I asked. "You're so nervous!"  
  
"I'm fine," he quickly said, sitting on the couch in front of me and staring straight into my eyes. He continued to fiddle with his fingers. "I have to tell you something...I don't know why, but I just feel like I should. And I need help...."  
  
"What is it?" I asked, getting nervous as well.  
  
"I've decided to ask Meiling to marry me," Li-san blurted out and buried his head in his hands. I felt like he had just slapped me in the face thirty million times.  
  
"Marry...Meiling?" I repeated, in a dull trance. My heart was beating hard against my chest. Yeah. It hurt.  
  
Li-san looked up determinedly and nodded. "I'm going to marry Meiling," he said with a smile of courage.  
  
"So...what...what do you need...help from me for?" I slowly said, not trusting my own tongue to speak at my regular pace in case it decided to say something stupid.  
  
"I plan on taking her to a restaurant," Li-san said, "and asking her there."  
  
I nodded.  
  
"I just need a little...uh...practice on how I'm going to ask her," Li-san said, flushing in embarrassment. "So I wanted to know if I could pretend you were Meiling and ask you.... You don't have to if you don't want to! It's just...."  
  
I nodded again and smiled. It hurt to smile, but for Li-san it was all he needed to smile back. "It's fine," I said. "That's wonderful news, Li-san."  
  
His amber eyes slid shut as he took a few breaths while approaching me. My heart beat frantically as he knelt down in front of me; I could feel the tears well up in my eyes, but I forced myself to blink them away. Not now, I told myself. Not here.  
  
Li-san took more deep breaths, his shoulders going up and down in a steady rhythm. He tilted his head up at me, still with closed eyes. He took a small box out from his pocket and opened it up to me, revealing a beautiful silver ring, adorned with an intricate design in diamonds.  
  
It seemed to take an eternity until Li-san opened his mouth. "Will you do me the honor of marrying me...Kinomoto Sakura...."  
  
My eyes went wide - whether it was in horror or disbelief, I still don't know. Tears built up in my eyes once more. Was this some kind of a sick joke? Was I hearing things?  
  
Li-san opened his eyes and smiled. "How was it?" he asked, lowering the ring.  
  
I bit my lower lip and nodded. "It was perfect," I squeaked before abruptly standing up. I couldn't breath. Not in here. Not with him. I couldn't take it. He didn't know he said my name. My emotions were completely torn apart. "I'm going to call a cab," I wheezed, running out of his apartment. I ignored his calling out my name and trying to chase after me.  
  
I ran out onto the street and down the block. Blinded by my tears, I found myself in front of a deli. I dialed the number to a cab service and told them my location. "I need to get away...." I crouched on the floor and cried into my knees until the cab came.  
  
TBC.  
  
T.Anjel: Stupid Sakura. Stupid Syaoran.  
  
C-Mage: I'd like to respond to a review from PersonaJXT about the use of Japanese. .' Any bad, despicable, or rude grammar used in this story is a result of my lack of knowledge in Japanese. I've been studying it for roughly two years, and not in a formal classroom setting, so I don't know much. Thank you for the correction!  
  
As for you other readers, thanks so much for not flaming! School's started again for me, at least, dumping amazing loads of homework on me. Thanks for being patient! 


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